Branching Out
by ms17thst
Summary: What happens when Myka discovers more about her ancestors than she planned on?  And how does HG wind up going to the prom?
1. Myka's Family Tree

Just some fun with two of our favorite characters!

Review, comments welcomed if you have time.

Tell me what you think - leave it as is or keep going?

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><p><strong>Myka's Family Tree - Branching Out <strong>

It was one of those beautiful Saturdays where the sunshine filled the B&B and the chill in the air was only hinting that fall was approaching. The agents had all been enjoying the day outside and now each retired to a part of the house to relax before dinner.

Myka went on the computer in the living room and started to research her family tree. HG had given her a gift certificate for her birthday for one of those ancestry sites and she had started researching her mother's side of the family.

Helena sat nearby, nose in a book about technology in the 20th century. Myka tapped the keys, accessing her account and working through the entries with what information she had. Her mother had given her an old diary that had been handed down through the years and it contained many entries of names and dates. She used it as a guide to find out information that could fill in the blanks about time and places.

"Wow!" she commented and HG picked her head up. "It seems my mother's great grandfather's family all lived in Ireland," she said.

"Lovely country," HG said.

Myka clicked away – digging further into the family's members.

"It says they had five children, my mother's great grandfather was the youngest," Myka moved her arm to click on more entries. "Hmmmm, they moved from County Clare in Ireland to live in England for a while and worked as … ," she stopped, waiting for the next page to come up.

"Ah, many Irish families came to England back in the day as….…" HG said.

And then together they both said the same word.

"_Servants_." Myka smiled at HG, thinking how adorable it was that they both said the same thing.

"They moved to England in the summer of 1887," Myka read with interest.

"Oh, I remember that year fondly," HG mused and it would have seemed an odd expression to hear of course, except to Myka.

"That year, my family stayed at the Rothschild's estate in Buckinghamshire. It was dreadfully boring except for the lavish parties in the evenings. But the days were at times, awful - as my parents insisted I be tutored in Greek and Latin, in spite of the fact I had mastered them," HG all but whined, deep in thought.

Myka smiled trying to imagine her friend as a dutiful daughter. She went back to surfing the site for information on her ancestors. It seemed that the family members were domestics at a summer estate and Myka was busy looking up dates from census records.

"But then one day," HG continued her thought. "….. as I was walking in the garden, I came upon the most divine _specimen_." The story teller was now lost in her thoughts, smile on her face.

"It says that my ancestor's siblings and parents all worked on the same country estate? How is that possible?"

"Oh, darling, it wasn't uncommon for servants to be members of the same family. The butler and cook might have children who then worked as maids or handymen," HG spoke with authority.

"Or _gardeners_," she said again out loud without realizing it.

"What's with the emphasis on gardener there HG?" Myka asked attuned to the fact she had just drawn that word with a deep sigh. She waited for an answer but when she looked up from the screen, she was surprised to find Helena seriously daydreaming.

"Earth to Helena, earth to Helena," Myka teased.

"Pardon? Oh, yes, sorry, love – lost in my thoughts," HG confessed and Myka could not get over the expression on her face.

Myka thought to herself – "_I'll follow up on that later_," and went back to her research.

She clicked on pages and had to enlarge them in order to read the handwriting of the old documents. It noted the names of the siblings of Myka's great-great grandfather and listed the sisters as having worked as maids that summer while the brothers also worked on the estate.

"It says here that there was terrible weather in England that summer with record heat and torrential rains." And then Myka smiled at the irony of actually being in the same room with someone who might be able to vouch for that that personally.

"Hmmm, let me think," HG said thoughtfully.

"Oh, yes, I do remember that now. I can say that with some certainty because I remember being very far out on the estate one day. I had been..… admiring the rose garden and stayed longer than I should. As I was walking back, the storm clouds came upon me and I was caught in a terrible downpour. I had ….forgotten ….….or lost…. my jacket. I was drenched and cold to the bone by the time I reached the house. My brother was furious that I had wandered off by myself and threatened severe punishment but took pity because, well, I looked so pathetic I imagine," HG said and now Myka was staring at her.

"What happened?" she asked wanting to know.

"Well, if I remember correctly, I spent the next few days in bed with a high fever. They called the doctor and he insisted that they bring the fever down with cold cloths which did seem to do the trick. Of course, they feared it was scarlet fever, which it wasn't, so the only person allowed in the room other than the doctor was the upstairs maid, who took it upon herself to nurse me back to good health," HG said with gratitude in her voice.

"Well, I'm very glad she did, too." Myka said.

"Yes, she was wonderful. A bit older than myself at the time and she had the most delicate hands and gentle touch," HG reminisced and again Myka felt as if her friend was off in another world.

Myka smiled and went back to her work. She clicked on town papers and church documents.

"She continued to nurse me well after the fever had passed. I dare say, that was a summer of awakenings," HG mused with a broad smile.

And now Myka did not like the sound of HG's story.

"What are you saying exactly, Helena?" Myka said her voice a bit more tense. But it was lost on HG.

"Pardon? Oh, about the upstairs maid? Well, she took very good care of me and saw to my complete recovery," HG answered not sure she wanted to divulge any more and stuck her head back in the book but her mind was far away.

Myka went back to the computer. One of the siblings had been employed in the stables and there was a local newspaper account of a fire that had started in the stalls and that it was he who saved the entire herd of thoroughbreds.

"I was well enough in a few weeks' time to return to my passion of horseback riding," Helena volunteered. Once more, Myka looked up from her computer.

"I never knew you liked horses," Myka said thinking how funny it was that Helena should mention that just as she was reading about a stable fire.

"Well, how could you _not_, darling, when the stable hand was tall, dark, handsome and very good at riding lessons?" Helena asked, her eyes rolling in complete dreaminess.

"OK, Helena. Conversation getting a little uncomfortable over here," Myka complained unsure if it was out of jealousy or not.

"Oh! Sorry, darling. I didn't mean to impose these memories. I mean, it was a long time ago, a different time of course." She tried to smooth over Myka's obvious ruffled feathers.

"Hmmm," was all Myka could utter and went back to her work. The pages on the screen continued with information and Myka learned that her great great grandfather's other sister was a seamstress.

"Did families have their own seamstresses?" Myka asked out of curiosity.

"I don't think that would be their only job but yes, women were often employed by families to maintain the clothes or sometimes, even make them if they were very good," HG said.

"That summer in the country, we had a wonderful young girl who showed tremendous promise as a seamstress. I often wonder if she could have gone on to design things she was that good. Of course, that was a different time and there was very little chance of a woman of her status ever making it out of her lot. Still, she did have _incredibly gifted hands_," HG said again lost down memory lane.

Myka smiled politely but was feeling irritated at the continuing interruption by Helena's remembrances.

"She made me a whole new outfit one time after….," and the HG stopped obviously editing herself.

"My brother would have been so angry if he had known what happened to them," she said disjointed in her recall. "But this woman, God bless her, took some material and made a new pair of riding breeches and a blouse that fit beautifully just by …," but again she stopped short and seemed to repress her next sentence.

Myka was starting to sense that maybe HG thought she would be uncomfortable with the details but her curiosity was more than aroused by these purposeful cutoffs.

"Out with it, Helena. How did the seamstress make such a great outfit? I know there's more to that story you're not telling me," Myka said, resigned to the fact that Helena had a past she knew very little about yet.

"Well, darling, when I say she was _very good_ with her hands, I mean she did all the measurements by hand," HG said and sounding a bit uncomfortable for the first time.

Myka thought for a second. "So she….," she said running her hands over an imaginary outline of an hourglass figure.

"Yes," HG answered and put her head back in her book.

"Sounds as if you remember a lot about this summer," Myka said going back to her screen.

"How could I not!" HG thought she said under her breath.

Myka smiled and returned to her work at hand. She wondered about the people she was reading about - Parents, five children, all working together. Her great-great grandfather would have only been seven that summer –his siblings much older. Change of life baby? All distant relatives – lost in time. What were they like? Would she have been able to have lived such a stifled existence – always working for someone else? Did they stay with the same family? She looked further and further into her past looking for their present.

"My relatives worked for a family in …." Myka read.

At the very same time as Helena said, "I will never forget my summer in …."

And together they uttered "_Waddesdon Manor"._

"What?" Myka said unsure she had spoken the same thing as the Brit.

"The summer I spent at Waddesdon Manor," HG said. "What?"

"Helena, this says my relatives worked at that Manor!" Myka said scouring the pages to make sure she was right.

"Could there be more than one?" she asked and HG laughed at the absurdity of her question but quickly tightened her lips to suppress it.

"Oh, darling, I doubt there were two Waddesdon Manor's. That would be like asking if there were two Eiffel Towers, two White Houses, two…." But Myka cut her off.

"OK, I get it. Only one Waddesdon Manor."

Then continued her rant with, "…but that's not possible. You? They? They couldn't have been there the same time!" she blurted out shuffling through pages of notes to check dates.

Her questions were lost in the distance between her and HG because Helena was already back in that summer, knee deep in memories of some of the most exquisite….

"HELENA!" Myka now yelled to get her attention.

"What were their names, Helena?" Myka asked now coming to sit on the couch with her. Her swiftness caused HG to sit up straight, at attention.

"Their names? Myka, you're not suggesting that ….," and for the first time, Helena started to put together the possibilities.

But she was caught between the sweetness of those memories and the fear that dots could be connected to Myka's family. The thought of that _young man in the stable that night of the blaze….she had never felt such heat before. _

"HELENA!" Myka shouted now certain that HG was busy dreaming about what could possibly be a nightmare from her own roots.

"What were their names?" Myka pressed her.

"Myka, the chances that your ancestors were my servants are remote at best," HG stumbled and Myka saw right though the lie.

Helena was smart enough to know two things – Myka meant business. And there was no one in the house who would stop her if she decided to kill her. HG swallowed hard.

"Myka, I can't possibly remember that far back. I mean, there were many. No, I don't mean many. I mean others." But the more HG opened her mouth, the deeper she dug herself in.

"Connolly," she finally said in almost a whisper and then waited. But Myka didn't react and HG finally let out a sigh of relief. Prematurely.

"What were you doing in the rose garden that day when you got caught in the rain?" Myka asked pointedly.

"That day in the rose garden? Oh, I was admiring the garden …" but HG was getting nervous and her voice cracked.

"Helena?" Myka said, her voice filled with warning.

"I was with the gardener! There! Are you happy?" HG replied, irritation in her words.

"What was his name?" Myka asked, eye narrowed on her subject.

"Collin," HG said with great fondness and Myka caught it.

"And the maid who nursed you back to health?"

"Mary," HG said almost too quickly for Myka, proving these memories were close to the surface.

"And the stable boy?"

"He was no boy, Myka. He was ….," HG said and the caught the look on Myka's face and wiped the smile off her own.

"How did the fire in the stable start?"

Helena couldn't piece together how Myka had that info.

"How did the fire in the stable start?" she reiterated, stalling for time. But Myka's expression told her time was up.

"I kicked over a lamp and set the straw on fire. We put it out …" this time HG cutting herself off.

"Is that how your clothes got damaged?" the experienced Agent asked putting the pieces together adeptly.

"Yes," the guilt easily surfacing in her voice.

"What was his name?" and Helena answered - "Michael".

"And the seamstress who had the talented hands, Helena?" and Myka shuttered to think she was discussing her relative.

"Anne," she said. "She was very gifted…" HG attempted to point out the positive but Myka flashed her hand up and she stopped talking. In fact, for a brief moment, she stopped breathing, unsure of what was going on behind the eyes that held her in an awful stare.

"Myka, I know this is a bit awkward," HG said repeating one of the first things she had said to Myka when she returned to the Warehouse.

"Do you know what this means?" Myka asked but did not wait for an answer.

"Helena, you slept with my relatives! You fooled around with my great great grandfather's siblings. You, you … used them because they were just servants," Myka seethed. But she had struck a nerve.

"Myka! How dare you! I never used them. I cared a great deal for each of them," HG said wounded.

This was all too much for Myka to piece together.

"Myka, please try to understand. You are going back to a very different time. Yes, they were servants but I was very fond of them. They were wonderful people. It was a summer of magnificent memories for me. I opened myself to each of them and they were kind and caring individuals who did what they wanted to do. They were not coerced, Myka. I give you my word. I had never been with a woman before ….," but she stopped deciding she had said enough.

"So you're saying that the upstairs maid …." Myka said not wanting to put words to it.

"Yes, darling," HG confirmed.

Myka slumped back and groaned out loud; "Oh my God! Helena, there were no …., I mean you didn't get ….." Myka's worst fears rising up in her thoughts.

"No, darling. We're not related, if that's what you mean?" Helena eased her mind.

"I'm going to need time to process this," Myka confessed and Helena simply didn't agree but held her tongue. It was after all, a very unique situation to be in.

Myka closed her notes and shut the computer off, thinking she would get back to it another day.

"Are you upset with me, darling?" Helena asked sincerely.

Myka stared at face drenched in concern. "No, Helena, I'm not upset with you," she assured HG.

"It's just a little weird having a window into my past like this," Myka added.

"What can I do to help?" her friend inquired and Myka was struck by how affected HG was by all of this.

"Well, you can start by keeping your stories of past love lives to post 1887," Myka said smiling.

And the teasing brought HG great relief. They laughed at being caught in this predicament, Myka easily understanding why anyone would be taken by the beauty of her raven haired friend. And Helena was certain that she saw the same kindness in Myka's eyes that she had seen those many years before.

"Myka, have you ever worked in a garden?" Helena couldn't help but ask.


	2. The Tea Garden

Thought I'd continue this story - - hope you like it.

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><p><strong>Chapter 2 The Tea Garden<strong>

Helena had spent weeks observing the things Myka liked and disliked. She had been approaching her deliberately because she sensed that Myka moved slowly when it came to relationships. She was private and therefore, HG had little to go on in terms of what her past ones were like. And the ones she heard about had been with men. Helena had no sure way of knowing yet if Myka felt anything like what she did and the suspense was killing her. HG Wells was not a woman who deferred pleasure well. It built up in her and urged her to move quickly. It took every ounce of strength she had to slow things down for Myka.

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><p>Now that Myka knew a little bit more about HG's past, she had to process it. Processing was something that could take Myka a while because she looked at it from different perspectives. This particular bit of information about HG's affairs was really going to take some time. She knew HG well enough to know that her past was 'colorful' and that she was what Myka assumed to be a very experienced woman. But HG was a hard read for Myka. She moved quickly, acted outside the box, never followed convention and oozed self confidence in things that just the thought of made Myka blush. As many times as Myka desperately tried to appear cool, Pete would point out how red her face was.<p>

So now it seemed the residential visitor from the past may in fact have crossed paths with Myka's relatives. It wasn't the type of thing you could talk to just anyone about. Her choices were Pete or Claudia. She wasn't sure what Pete's response would be since he was a little edgy still around HG. He was friendly and all but she could sense that Pete was still alert when he was with her. She had done nothing to further his suspicions thankfully. She did her job well and except for not following protocol to Artie's pleasing, she really had been an excellent agent. Her ego hadn't gotten in the way on assignments and she often waited until Myka or Pete gave her direction before acting as they were the senior agents.

Myka opted to talk to Claudia who had been far more accepting of HG's return to the Warehouse. But then she remembered how the young woman looked up to HG as a fellow inventor and sometimes, as a mother figure. It wouldn't be right to talk to Claudia about HG's affairs to someone who admired her so much. Myka resigned herself to having to figure this one out on her own. After all, what did it really matter to Myka? It wasn't like HG had made her feelings known to her and she wasn't really sure what her own feelings were. She felt a certain affection for HG but maybe they were just best friends. Really, really best friends. She had no idea of the torture her uncertainty was causing Helena.

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><p>"<em>Myka, have you ever worked in a garden<em>?" Helena had asked her after their last conversation and Myka had laughed and said no, but that she always wanted a tea garden with rose bushes. It was something she hadn't thought about in a very long time and probably something she read in one of the romance stories she read when she was younger. In fact, shortly after telling HG that she forgot all about it. Helena would not. She decided that the way to get through to Myka was to give her things that no one else would think of. She set out to figure out how to get Myka her tea garden.

Her answer came to her one day as she was doing the dishes – a task she detested but offered to do because she now understood that doing domestic chores was in fact a way to help out Leena. As she stood there doing the dishes – Leena insisted on cleaning them before putting them into the dishwasher – a concept that HG tried to argue about and got nowhere – she gazed out the window to the yard.

"Who is that young man, Leena?" she asked when she saw a plaid shirted man pushing a wheel barrow.

"Jake? Oh that's the man who does the yard clean up for me. I'm so glad he showed up today. I think I share him with the rest of Univille so I can't often get him. He's very expensive but he's good," Leena shared.

Helena stared at the man's back - thinking of how she could get him to make Myka her tea garden. Different scenarios played out in her head until the young man turned around. HG had noticed that he was tall and broad but when she caught sight of the bare chiseled chest walking toward the window, she dropped the plate on the floor. His skin was tanned and his muscles toned. His form narrowed at the waist and when HG scanned his body, she swallowed hard. She was not used to seeing men physically so well defined in a state that was in her mind, half naked.

"Helena?" Leena called out to her and HG was afraid it was because she could hear the fireworks going off inside of her.

"Yes?" HG said not taking her eyes off the young man.

Leena was surprised that HG wasn't responding to the broken plate that lay at her feet. The water was close to running over in the sink and Leena moved quickly to shut it off and then caught sight of what had HG mesmerized.

"Earth to Helena," Leena said now much closer to HG and she was startled to find her right next to her.

"Pardon? Oh, yes, so sorry. Oh, I dropped a plate," HG said now aware the water was up to the edge and the pieces were on the floor.

"_Maybe this is why I can't get him too often_," Leena said more to herself. Then she smiled at the agent. "Would you like me to introduce you?" Leena offered aware of what an affect the young man was having on HG.

"No need. I'll introduce myself," HG said removing herself from the sink but still wearing the plastic gloves.

"I think he's married, HG….," is what Leena yelled out trying to be discrete but HG never heard her. She moved quickly out the back door, threw the gloves aside and slowed her pace as she watched the man walk back to the other end of the yard. She tripped only once but caught herself but Leena laughed out loud. She knew very little about HG and had never seen her behave this way before.

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><p>Outside, HG walked near the young man. "Hello," she said and kept her distance on purpose. She didn't know what her body was doing but she was well aware of its reaction to this man. He turned and smiled at her.<p>

"Hello," he said and HG caught his eyes slowing moving down and then back up. She put her arm around her own waist and held onto her chin with the other hand just to steady herself. If she hadn't been moving so quickly she would have admonished herself or at least her sympathetic nervous system for going on overload.

"Are you the gardener?" she asked and the word alone made her take a deep breath. Why did Myka have to bring all those memories up to the surface?

"Yes, Jake – a pleasure to meet you….,?" he said waiting for her name.

"Helena," HG said and he wiped his hand on his pants and extended it. She hesitated because she feared what the touch would do but her arm was already extended before she knew it.

"_Oh, God_," she heard herself say in the lowest possible voice and she knew she better get control. His hand was warm and big and strong and …..big.

"Leena told me that you do some of the work around here. And I was wondering ….," HG started and then cast her eyes downward and caught sight of his pectorals that glistened with sweat. She was now shouting at herself inside but this was the first encounter with a man of the 21st century who was not fully clothed. She had seen Pete on occasion but she felt a brotherly connection with him. This boy was nothing like her brother. In fact, had Charles been there and ever caught HG looked at any man this way; she would have been lectured for weeks.

In the span of time that HG collected herself, the man was quite aware of her silence and gawking. Jake was not a conceited man but he knew the effect he had on women. He had been blessed with good genes and he made the most of them by eating right and working out.

"You were wondering?" he reminded HG what she had started to say but it only served to bring her out of the trance.

"Pardon? Oh, yes I was wondering if you knew anything about constructing a tea garden?" she finally got out.

"A tea garden?" he said unfamiliar with the term.

"Yes, I want to build a garden area where one could have tea. A small area perhaps at the end of the property behind those trees over there?" HG said.

The young gardener looked over the area HG was pointing to. "That's a pretty big project to start this late in the season. Why don't we go look?" he said and HG walked with him.

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><p>Back in the kitchen, Pete was hunting in the refrigerator for a snack. "Whacha looking at?" he asked Leena as she stood tippy toed looking out the window.<p>

"I'm watching HG hit on the gardener," she said matter of factly.

"What?" he asked as he pulled his head out and walked over to watch.

"She was doing dishes, caught sight of the gardener, dropped a dish, almost overflowed the sink and went outside to meet him," Leena reported.

"Really? I would have laid money on her hitting on Myka," Pete said as he pushed another Twinkie in his mouth.

"Myka?" Leena asked a little surprised although she did remember that their auras did complement each other and seemed calmest when they were together. She took it to mean Myka was the one HG felt closest to.

"Oh, yeah. She's been hitting on Myka since she got here. I don't think Myka knows it yet thought," Pete said as if he were an expert. Leena looked at him as if to ask why.

"I don't know. Not sure where Myka stands on all of this attention. HG's subtle, I'll give her that but it's there. Not sure what _this_ means though," he said as he watched with Leena as HG disappeared into the woods.

Pete didn't want to jump to conclusions but this did confuse him. He didn't care what HG did as long as it didn't upset Myka. He hoped for her sake she knew what she was doing. _Or he'd make her regret it._

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><p>On the other side of the trees, Helena stood with Jake as they surveyed the area. He walked behind her as she walked back and forth looking at the plot. His marriage of seven years was still intact but growing stale. He never acted on any of the offers the women gave him but that didn't mean he didn't find it flattering. And he found Helena's attention very gratifying. At the moment though, she was deep in thought trying to visualize the garden.<p>

"I think if you could section off this area here in a circular position and place rose buses all around it with an opening here, then the back drop would be those trees. Yes, that would work fine," HG concluded.

Jake looked at the area where she was standing and gave it serous thought. "Yes, we could use lumber to corner off the area, build up the dirt here and place bushes all around to make a barrier. It will be expensive," he said.

"Cost is no matter," HG said not even looking at him. She meant it. Her estate had been collecting royalties for years as it was set up by her brother. Any time someone bought a book by HG Wells, Helena received the money. Money was no problem. The gardener liked the sound of that. Usually, this was where the owner of the house tried to bargain with him. He was self-employed and so '_could you just throw in the mulch_' came right out of his pocket.

"Well, I could sketch out some plans, " he started but HG put her hand up .

"No, I will do the plan," she said and he was surprised by that. It wasn't a large piece of the property but still, drainage and sloping had to be planned.

"OK, so next spring we'll talk …," he attempted to say but HG swung around on her heels.

"Next spring? Oh, no you must begin this now. I mean, immediately," HG said but she caught the sight of a smile of his face.

"Helena, I have a long list of customers who are expecting me to do fall clean up. I can't just drop everything to start a project. The spring is the perfect time to do this," the young man said.

"Oh, no that won't do at all," HG said thinking how much simpler this would be if this were the old days when a servant would not dream of uttering a word back to her, let alone _no_.

"This is a two person job at the very least and I don't have the manpower," Jake said thinking of something else to convince her.

"I will help you!" HG offered because this was going to get done. The man laughed out loud at the thought and drew her glare.

"No, no that's thoughtful but I don't think you can …. I mean how will you …. I need a ….," he tried to explain but everything sounded chauvinistic so he stopped.

"This has got to wait until spring," he tried again.

"Jake, listen darling. We'll make it as simple as possible. Nothing fancy. We can finish it in the spring but for now, let's just build up this section here to make a barrier, put in a row of privacy trees and then rose bushes. Yes, it can be done. Now I want you to bring your equipment through the back of the property. No need for Leena to be troubled with this. Remember, cost is not an issue," HG reiterated and now he was starting to consider how it could be done.

"My customers will hate me," he said.

"Oh, I seriously doubt that," she said smiling devilishly at him.

"I'll give you a week to get it done," he said thinking he could tell his other clients he had a family emergency or something to postpone their work.

"Wonderful! Now remember, bring all the material up through the back of the property. I want this to be a surprise," HG said and he assumed she meant for Leena.

When they emerged from the tree line in the middle of the property, Leena was still at the window. "_Where the heck did they go_?" she wondered.

"Is it a pleasure doing business with you," HG said warmly as she shook his hand. She looked down at how small her hand looked inside his. She then handed him a card with her cell number and told Jake he was only to speak to her about this. The fact that she never asked the cost impressed him. He smiled down at her.

He had a sweet face Helena thought. But that body was from the gods she said to herself and again, he caught her staring at his chest. It was little wonder he was willing to risk upsetting all his other customers. All Helena could do was take a deep breath and exhale as she stared and then turned to walk away, the smile still riding across her face.

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><p>Leena watched as Jake stood there, card in hand and stared as HG walk away. "What the heck did they do?" she couldn't help but wonder. She turned as HG came into the house still wearing the ear to ear smile.<p>

"Did you meet the gardener?" she asked nonchalantly.

"Indeed I did," HG said slowly as she made her way upstairs. She was still in her dreamlike state until she caught sight of Pete at the head of the steps. He stood there blocking her way.

"Hello Pete," she said. Pete didn't respond right away. He was getting in touch with his vibes. Nothing unusual or out of the ordinary he thought.

"Getting to know the hired help?" he said and HG stopped because it was obvious he wasn't moving out of her way.

"Pardon?" she asked unaware that he had witnessed her meeting.

"Spending time with the gardener?" he asked and now HG realized that her gathering may not have been as private as she assumed. She tried to think of the best way to respond to this.

"Oh, the young man? Outside? Yes," she said and all three replies were suspicious.

"Any particular reason?" Pete asked because he could tell she was uncomfortable. Helena stood there on the step, holding onto the banister in front of him.

"No, I was being friendly," HG said but didn't look at Pete. The whole scene reminded her of what it was like when Charles would catch her doing something he did not approve of. It was a scene that played out very often back in the day.

"Are we quite through here?" she finally asked regaining herself.

"Yeah," Pete said because he didn't know what to do next. It really was none of his business. Unless it had to do with Myka and then he'd make it his business. Slowly, he moved out of her way but noticed she never did look him in the eyes.

Myka came out of her room to catch Pete standing there and HG passing him. It seemed obvious that something had happened but she couldn't tell what.

"Oh, hello Myka," HG said warmly as she caught sight of her. She took a deep breath and could smell Myka's perfume.

Myka watched as Pete huffed down the stairs.

"Everything OK, here?" Myka asked looking at Pete and then at HG.

"Yes, everything is just grand," the Brit answered.

Myka looked around thinking over what she just witnessed. It didn't seem 'grand' to her but she couldn't put her finger on it. In casting her eyes downward, she noticed something.

"Helena? Your boots are covered in mud," she said and HG looked down at her feet. Her suede boots were covered in mud up to her ankles. She quickly looked behind her and there, as she feared were the telltale tracks of her footprints.

"You didn't notice?" Myka asked because it seemed so obvious that she wondered how HG couldn't at least feel the guck through the boots.

"Hey, HG," Pete yelled from downstairs now. "You got mud all down the steps and all over the carpet down here. Geez, what a mess!" the man who hardly noticed dirt anywhere shouted.

"Oh, bloody hell," HG said as she stood there afraid to move and make a further path of mud.

"How did you not notice that, Hel?" Myka asked curiously.

"I … I eh …. I eh must ….," HG uttered but didn't know how to explain it. Myka raised her eyebrows in response because she knew if HG couldn't finish a sentence, it meant trouble.

Had HG been in better control of her emotions, she would have just made something up spur of the moment which was something that came easily to her. But she was still reeling from witnessing the half dressed man and now Myka was standing close to her, intoxicating her with the smell of perfume and smiling at her.

"Stand there and let me help you out of them," Myka said not waiting any longer. She bent over and took hold of HG's leg and she had to put her hands on Myka's back to steady herself. Myka's hands were slowly creeping down her leg pulling at the soft boot. Helena swallowed the lump in her throat. She grabbed onto Myka even harder now.

"Oh God," she uttered for a second time that day.

"OK, now the other one," Myka said once the right one was off and the Brit thought she wouldn't be able to stand it a second time. But she held on as Myka repeated the action on her left leg.

'_That's it'_ Helena thought. '_As soon as she stands up, I am going to push her up against the wall and_ …' but when Myka did stand up all Helena could do was to gaze into those green eyes.

"Are you OK?" Myka asked after HG didn't move or say anything.

"Grand, just grand," HG said before passing out.

* * *

><p>Love your comments and feedback and know it takes time so thank you in advance.<p> 


	3. The Best Laid Plans

**Chapter 3 The Best Laid Plans**

Myka was only a little less surprised than HG that she was suddenly falling. She had been holding the boots but dropped them to catch Helena. She slowly let her slide down and was holding her up by the jacket lapels, staring at those lips that suddenly seemed to beckon her. Now in the silence that filled the hallway, time stood still as Myka thought about what to do next. She pulled her up to her face, telling herself she wanted to make sure she was breathing but she was about to touch those lips when Pete appeared at the top of the steps.

"What happened to her?" he asked and started Myka who then let go and dropped her. She went to grab HG but it was too late; Helena's head hit the floor. Even with carpeting, it made a noise.

"Geez, Myka! Be careful," Pete said as he rushed over.

"Oh, gosh, Helena?" she said as she quickly put her hand under HG's head. HG's moans made the guilt swell inside Myka.

"What happened?" Pete asked.

"I don't know. I was helping her off with her boots and she passed out," Myka explained.

"Yeah, too much hanky panky with the gardener," Pete said as he lift her up in his arms.

"What?" Myka asked. "She told you about the gardener?" she asked reflected back to her family history search.

"No, Leena did," Pete said and Myka opened the door to HG's bedroom. '_Of all stories, she had to share that one_,' Myka thought.

Pete laid her down on the bed and gently shook her. "HG? You ok?" he said and HG moaned. He turned to look at Myka who seemed to be day dreaming.

"A little help here, Mykes?" he prompted her.

"Oh, yeah - sure. Helena? Are you ok, sweetheart?" Myka asked and cringed when she saw HG's hand go to the back of her head.

"What hit me?" the Brit asked.

"The floor," Pete said and offered to go get ice.

Myka sat on the bed next to HG. "You passed out, Helena. Do you feel OK?" Myka said. Helena tried to remember what happened. She was standing there and Myka was removing her boots. Then she recalled the lightness that rushed at her when Myka stood up so close. She looked up into those same eyes that she had been caught by before.

"Yes, I'm fine," was all HG offered. "I didn't have breakfast."

Pete burst through the door with a bag of ice. "Here, HG put this on your noggin. By the way, that mud is still over out there," he reminded her.

It brought HG back to what had transpired. Myka was asking her how she didn't notice the mud on her boots and then Myka was removing them and then …..the lightness came back to Helena's head. How much longer could she wait? '_Not bloody long' _she heard the words in her own head.

"I'll get up …." she tried but Myka's warm hand was on her shoulder. Propelled by concern and guilt for having dropped her, Myka was not going to let her get up just yet.

"No, don't worry, Helena. I want you to rest. I'll take care of it," Myka said.

Helena tried to protest and again get up - but Myka's hand was firm on her shoulder. HG liked the feel of that. Myka moved her hand to the back of HG's head and her touch was so gentle. But while HG enjoyed the sensation, the touch revealed the slight bump of HG's head and Myka felt terrible. In fact, if they had asked Pete who looked worse, he would have said Myka.

"Keep the ice there until I come back," Myka instructed and let go of her.

"Yeah, HG. While Myka's cleaning up your mess, you take some time to think things over," Pete said and Helena did not like the warning tone in his voice. She stared at him but he just shook his head indicating she knew what he meant.

Helena wanted to protest. She wanted to get up from that bed and demand that he explain himself and apologize but she was unable to do any of that. If she confronted him right now, Myka would know about the gardener and she had to keep that a surprise. She did not like Pete's insinuation but had to admit, even she had not planned on being so affected by the young man.

"Pete, leave her alone," was all Myka said because she didn't get what he was saying but thought he was annoyed at Myka for cleaning up after HG.

* * *

><p>Myka went out into the hallway with Pete and picked up HG's mud soaked boots and took them down stairs. She got out a bucket and scrub brush and although Leena offered to help, she said she would take care of it. She looked down at the trail HG's boots left and started to scrub up the dirt. An hour later, she reached the hallway upstairs and cleaned up the last of the footprints. She rinsed out the bucket and washed up and knocked on HG's door. When she opened it a bit, she could see HG was asleep so she went back downstairs.<p>

"Is she OK?" Leena asked.

"Yes, she's resting. I don't know what caused her to pass out but she seemed OK when she came to," Myka said.

"Yeah, right," Pete said but Leena shot him a look and he let it go.

* * *

><p>When HG got up later, she remembered all of it. She was surprised by her reaction to the gardener but decided that anyone would be affected by seeing half naked people. This was something that she was very unused to. Not that she hadn't seen men in various stages of undress in her former life, but rarely were they ever as muscular. In fact, the only thing close to what she saw today had been the gardener from the summer in 1887. That thought brought her all the way back to when this started and the conversation with Myka about her family tree. It was all a bit much for the Brit's injured head and she decided to put the thoughts away.<p>

Myka fussed over her as soon as she descended the stairs and made sure she was comfortable the whole night. She made Pete get up from the chair so HG could sit there and relax. HG tried to refuse the attention but she loved it. As many times as she tried to assure her she was fine and fully recovered, Myka would gently touch her head to see if the swelling was down. It was slight but each touch made Helena's heart race. How much longer could she stand this?

With Pete and Claudia occupied somewhere else, HG was finally alone with Myka. "You take very good care of me," HG said when Myka checked her head for the umpteenth time.

"I just worry," Myka said.

"About what?" Helena asked as Myka sat on the footrest in front of her.

"About you," Myka said slowly.

"I appreciate that," HG said slowly and leaned forward. "I appreciate that very much," she said slowly as she looked again into those green eyes and was about to kiss the lips that seemed to be waiting for her when Artie came into the room. Myka pulled back and turned around to see him.

'_First thing tomorrow, I kill him_,' Helena thought.

And HG's night went downhill from there. Although Myka walked her to her bedroom door and told her to call her if she needed anything, she didn't come in with her. Helena spent the night tossing and turning with thoughts of Myka and when she did sleep, the gardener kept interrupting her dreams.

* * *

><p>Miles away on the outskirts of Univille, the young man in HG's dream was attempting to ignite the passion of his marriage.<p>

"Just try it," he coaxed his wife.

"Really? This is what you want me to do?" she asked hesitantly.

"They say role playing can be fun," he tried.

"OK, well here goes," she said. " 'Ello Guvner," she uttered in the worst British accent since Madonna lived in England.

The young woman looked at her husband. He looked more horrified than turned on. It was a stupid idea. "

Is that what you meant?" she asked and wondered why he thought an English accent would turn him on.

It was nothing like what he heard that afternoon when the raven haired woman at Leena's had spoken to him while she gazed at his bare chest. He was a faithful albeit frustrated husband, but that woman was the closest thing to temptation he ever wanted to give into.

"Maybe we should try something else," he said and his wife was annoyed. It was the short fuse that was causing some of their indifference. She went to sleep annoyed while he went to sleep and dreamt of his new employer.

* * *

><p>The next morning as the agents gathered for breakfast and Artie went over the jobs of the day, Helena's phone went off. She looked down at it. "Will you excuse me, please?" was all she said before she got up and left the room. Artie turned and watched as his newest agent simply left the room. He shook his head but continued with the meeting. Fifteen minutes later, he turned to Myka.<p>

"Would you please remind Agent Wells that this is a meeting and people don't just get up and leave?" he asked Myka and she agreed and got up to find HG.

She went into the kitchen and asked Leena if she saw HG. She said she had gone out through the back door and Myka went out to find her. Myka stepped out into the yard but HG was nowhere to be found. She walked to the side of the house. When she came back, there was HG walking from the back line of trees all smiles. Myka waited for her but it seemed that HG was deep in thought. In fact, it wasn't until she was practically on top of Myka did she take notice. And when she did, she jumped.

"Myka! What are you doing here?" HG said when she realized she almost walked into Myka.

"Ah, Helena, I was out here looking for you. Where were you?" Myka asked taking note of Helena's expression.

"Where was I?" the Brit repeated. She was grabbing at her necklace, a sure sign to Myka that she was nervous. Her face was flushed although there was no sign of distress. In fact, Myka noticed just the opposite. Helena looked very happy.

"Yes, where were you?" Myka said moving in front of HG so she couldn't move forward.

"I was …. You know, out here," HG said pathetically as she turned around indicating the whole yard.

"And what were you doing out here?" Myka asked imitating the same motion.

"What was I doing?" HG said.

"Helena, you got up in the middle of a staff meeting and just left. You were gone for over fifteen minutes and now you seem evasive," Myka summed up.

"I needed some fresh air," HG thought to say quickly.

Myka didn't know what to do. Maybe HG didn't feel well and really did need some air. But who would have sent her a text that she would have gotten up to take care of?

"So everything is OK?" Myka asked.

"More than OK," HG answered.

Myka was more than suspicious but had nothing to go on.

"Hel, when you're in the middle of the staff meeting, maybe you could just wait next time until Artie's all done," Myka suggested.

"Pardon? But I had to …. Oh, yes sure I will," HG said all jumbled.

Myka stepped out of the way and HG made her way into the house. Neither of them saw Pete watching them from the kitchen window.

HG had just had her first successful meeting with her new hired hand. He did as she instructed. He brought his truck to the back of the property. It was loaded with the boards he would need to outline the garden. Tomorrow he would start planting trees. He told her his only concern was the drainage in that part of the property but HG thought they could get around that. She provided him with a rough draft of the size and shape of the garden. Helena was most grateful he had his shirt fully buttoned although even then, his formidable physique was still evident. When she found herself staring, she would turn her back and talk to him over her shoulder. He came up behind her to ask her something about the plan she had given him and she could smell his cologne. It must heavy and musky and she didn't have time to think it odd that a gardener would take the time to put on cologne in the morning. But his wife did.

Pete watched as Helena came back into the house followed by Myka. He sensed something was upsetting Myka but Helena seemed so happy that he couldn't figure out the discord. That didn't stop him from grabbing HG by her elbow. She stopped and looked at him.

"HG, I don't know what you're up to but I want you to make sure you know what you're doing," he said in a less than friendly voice.

She understood he was being protective of Myka. She knew they shared a history and she was going to make an allowance for that. Otherwise, she would have removed him with a kempo move that he would not soon forget. But she was in a good mood. And she would just flash those dark eyes at him in a friendly manner and say; "I always know what I am doing, Mr. Lattimer. Always."

* * *

><p>Thanks for the comments - I appreciate them and hope this is keeping your interest.<p> 


	4. Hell Hath No Fury

**Chapter 4 Hell Hath No Fury**

For the next couple of days, Helena did manage to keep her plans a secret. She asked Jake to come earlier in the morning so that she could meet with him before Artie arrived. The plans were coming along, although again Jake expressed his concern about the grading of that part of the property. If he was right, any large amount of rain would run off to that corner of the area. Addressing that issue would have delayed things and HG wouldn't hear of it. Jake gave in and kept working. As it was, his customers were complaining that things were not getting done and when one of them saw him at the local hardware store, they started to doubt this excuse of a family emergency.

After the meeting one morning, Myka accompanied Leena into town to drop off the SUV for an oil change. They went into the local diner for some coffee while they waited for the car to be done. Helena had offered to go with Myka but Artie wanted her at the Warehouse. Things seemed calm at the house and so Pete had no particular issue to take up with HG but she avoided him nonetheless in the office. He had a way of going right to the heart of the matter and HG didn't want any trouble. When he did run into her, he would ask her; "Everything OK, HG?" just to let her know he was keeping an eye on things. It was starting to annoy her but for Myka's sake, she held her tongue. This was not something HG was experienced at doing.

Leena and Myka sat across from one another in a booth at the diner. The woman behind Leena in the next booth was lamenting to her friends that he husband was acting strange lately. She shared that their sex lives were strained but that at least they were trying to come up with ideas to keep things moving. "He's been so tired all week," she said.

"Here's another reason I'm OK with being single," she laughed in a whisper to Myka. Myka looked over at the three women. The girl in the booth behind Leena was considerable taller and broader than the inn keeper. It was in part, what made it easy to hear her talk although she was trying to be discreet.

A woman approached the booth where the three friends sat. "Hey, Luanne. Everything OK there, Hon?" the woman asked.

Myka observed the younger woman turn to her. "Yeah, sure. Why do you ask?"

"Well, Roy said Jake called and said he couldn't take care covering up the trees this week because of a family emergency," the woman said and now Leena was listening attentively.

"Oh did he?" the young wife asked.

Could this be the same Jake - Leena wondered? She hadn't seen him since the other day. Sounded like things at home were about to get a little worse she thought.

The woman left and now Luanne turned to her friends. "He's been acting strange all week. This morning he put on cologne and I thought it was odd. He never wears cologne! What the hell could he be up to? Where could he be going every day with the truck?"

"Now, Luanne he's probably got a project he's working on, maybe like…. Beside, Jake adores you. He would never …," the friend stopped short of saying the word 'cheat'.

"My daddy taught me how to shoot. I best not need to load that gun he gave me," she said louder.

Her friends tried to calm her down since there probably was an explanation but Luanne's mind was racing. Even though he went out every day he was home every night. He didn't seem distant but he did seem a little different.

"You know the other night when we were going to spend time together, he asked me to talk to him in an English accent," the young woman said in a low voice but Leena heard it and choked on her orange juice and it spilled.

Myka grabbed some napkins, her attention back on Leena who could not seem to get her breath back.

"You OK, Leena?" Myka asked concerned.

"Yes, yes. Myka let's go check on the car," she said and even though Myka was only half done with her breakfast, she agreed. Myka opened her bag and took out money for the tip and went to the counter to pay. Leena stood up slowly and tried to be nonchalant about sizing up the woman behind her. Myka caught Leena staring at the woman and heard her distinctly say, "_Oh Lord_," under her breath.

"Leena, are you OK? You look like you saw a ghost, " Myka said as Leena hurried out of the establishment. "Did you know that woman?"

"That woman? That large woman? That really large woman? No, I don't know her. Never met her," Leena said as she tried to decide if she had any cause for concern.

The car was done and Myka and Leena drove back to the B&B. Leena seemed anxious to get back and Myka heard her exhale when they came up the driveway as if she was relieved no one was there. Myka dropped her off and returned to the Warehouse.

* * *

><p>Leena went inside and made herself a cup of tea. She had a really weird feeling about all of this as if she sensed it was connected to Helena. Yet, when she tried to piece it together she could not connect the dots. Yes, she had seen HG with the young gardener and she certainly looked all flustered but that was a couple of days ago. He hadn't been back since. So whatever he might have been up to did not involve HG. '<em>Maybe he was watching TV and got turned on by that actress in Dexter or something<em>,' Leena surmised about the accent comment. By the time she was done analyzing the facts, she was convinced the events were all unrelated. She tried to clear her mind and relax. They had been fortunate to have a spell of unusually warm weather and she opened the window in the kitchen. _'What was all that banging_?' she thought as she wished her neighbors would cease the racket.

* * *

><p>Helena was very happy to see Myka return so soon to work. She joined HG on the floor as they worked on inventory.<p>

"I have been working diligently in your absence," she said to Myka hoping to impress her. It took so little for Myka to be impressed when it came to HG.

"Oh that's good, Helena. Artie will be very happy to hear that, I'm sure," Myka shared but Helena could not have cared less what Artie thought about her work.

"He's a real sticker for things like rules and getting the inventory done, " Myka said.

"Oh, well then perhaps there are other things you should tell me about," HG said suggestively and Myka looked at her. "I mean, as the _agent on top of me _I'm sure Artie would like you to instruct me," HG clarified. But the '_agent on top of me'_ part still sounded very salacious even to Myka's naïve ears.

"Well, for one Artie likes us to keep our minds on our work when we're down here with the artifacts because it can have unfortunate consequences if we don't," Myka said smiling because she wasn't sure where HG was going.

"Would it bother you if I told you that it is hard for me to keep my mind on my work when you're standing so close to me?" HG purred and moved in ever so closely to Myka.

Myka should not have been surprised that Helena's patience was on empty and she had decided she was going to find out where Myka stood come hell or high water. But as familiar as she had become with Helena and her lack of patience, this was a sensitive subject for Myka. She knew HG was interested in her and she felt the same way but this was uncharted territory for Myka and she went nowhere without a road map. There was none for this and that made Myka hesitant. She knew now that Helena was a far more experienced woman and that frightened Myka a little.

"It …eh, would not bother me but I wouldn't want …. You know, Artie to make us work …. In ah …different parts …. Of the Warehouse because … eh he thought … we couldn't ….," Myka stammered as she watched HG move in painstakingly slow until she was right in front of her.

"He wouldn't dare," HG responded in a voice filled with warning.

"Helena, he's the boss," she went to remind her underling but the words were cut short by Helena reaching up and kissing Myka's lips.

Myka immediately closed her eyes and tried very hard to just take in that moment. It was over quickly and Myka stood there motionless. Helena especially liked that. Things were moving along even if she found it to be too slow. At least, it was going in the right direction.

'_God, I am a patient woman_,' HG said to herself.

HG finally looked at Myka. "We better get back to work, darling. I hear the boss does not take kindly to his workers losing their focus when handling the artifacts."

Myka took in a deep breath as Helena left her standing there to take in what just happened. _'God this woman likes to be in control_,' Myka thought to herself but she couldn't keep the smile from appearing on her face.

* * *

><p>Helena rose early the next morning to the sound of thunderous rains. She opened the window and saw it was pouring. She quickly sent Jake a text to ask if he was coming. There was no reply. Although he had most of the trees planted and all of the rose bushes, Helena did not want to lose a day but she had no choice. Perhaps if she were there tomorrow with him she could help him finish.<p>

Myka woke up feeling wonderful in spite of the downpour. Helena's brazen move yesterday left her feeling anxious, excited, happy, thrilled and scared at the same time. For a woman who compartmentalized her feelings, this was quite unusual for her. But she liked it. She could understand why her distant relatives had all fallen for this raven haired woman. She was like a gentle fury that pulled you into her without your consent but then left you begging for more when she released you. Had they all felt the same way for her? If one person could awaken passion in four people at the same time, it was Helena.

* * *

><p>Jake was used to being off when bad weather affected his landscaping business. His wife was at work and he had a lot of time on his hands. He had really been working hard that week trying to get Helena's tea garden completed. He had enjoyed his early morning meetings with Helena. She was not like anyone he had ever met and in his business and he met a lot of women. As one of the few gardeners in the surrounding area, his clients ran the gamut from the very wealthy to the average home owner. He was used to some of those women being flirtatious with him. Many did it as an exercise in playfulness and never meant it to be anything more. Some were more serious and more suggestive. He would schedule them for when the husbands were home or early mornings when he thought they would be sleeping. None reminded him of Helena. She seemed to come out of nowhere that day. She must be a partner in the B&amp;B he surmised when she gave him orders for the tea garden, paid him handsomely and said Leena was fine with it all. Who was he to argue? He also was amused by how she didn't seem to flirt on purpose and seemed to be uncomfortable with it when he caught her. He thought that was refreshing. And that accent was a total turn on for him. He couldn't help it but he loved watching her mouth when she talked. For his part, he never made a move on the Brit. He loved his wife and in spite of the rough times his marriage was in right now, he wouldn't cheat on her. He might fantasize about it though. And with Helena, that came easily.<p>

The rain had been so bad that he let his wife take the truck that day. He didn't trust her car on the roads with this rain. He went to check his phone later in the day and couldn't find it. Instead, he went online to look at vacation cruises. The extra money Helena was paying him might allow them to take the vacation they both needed.

Luanne sat in husband's truck motionless. In her hand was his cell phone with several texts to a number she didn't know. That wasn't unusual since she didn't know all of his clients' phone numbers. But while many of the texts were business related, a few stood out. "_I really need you to come today_" and "_If not today, then please early tomorrow_," were just two that worried her. Maybe it was nothing but if his regular customers hadn't seen him this week, who was he working with? She sat there trying to talk herself out of the anger that was swelling inside her and then the phone went off. It was a text from the same number. "_I will try to get off work tomorrow so that I can be with you. Helena_." She closed the phone and started the truck. She drove home and pulled into the garage.

Then she got out her shotgun and put it in her car.

* * *

><p>Short - but thought this was a good ending point.<br>As always - your feedback and comments keep me in check so I appreciate them.


	5. The Surprise

**Chapter 5 The Surprise**

When Jake heard Luanne in the garage, he quickly closed down the travel agent screen on his computer. If everything worked out the way he planned it, he would finish the tea garden tomorrow or the next day and then he could tell his wife about the trip. Boy, would she be surprised.

Luanne came into the kitchen and took a deep breath. She put Jake's phone on the island and went to the bathroom. He called down to her from upstairs and she responded. She splashed cold water on her face. If everything worked out the way she planned it, she would follow Jake to wherever he went tomorrow morning and take care of whoever this 'Helena' was. Boy, would she be surprised.

Helena went to bed that night after watching the weather report. Glorious sunshine and high temperatures was exactly what she wanted to hear. It took Jake a long time to respond to her text but he finally did late that night. Yes, he would be there early. Now Helena just had to take the day off so that she could oversee the last finishing touches. If Jake finished on time, then she could be having tea with Myka by the weekend. She couldn't wait to show Myka the tea garden. Boy, would she be surprised.

* * *

><p>Helena had hoped to catch Artie early but he was later than usual so she waited until he was seated before she raised her hand. She had already texted Jake and told him she would be there very shortly. He was on the site and said he needed her a.s.a.p.<p>

"Artie, I do apologize for interrupting your meeting but I need to take a personal day," HG said nonchalantly.

"Excuse me?" Artie said. He wasn't the only one surprised by her request. Myka looked at her with concern written all over her face which caught Pete's attention. What was the Brit up to he wondered.

"Really, HG? Everything OK?" Claudia asked.

"Oh, yes. Perfectly fine," HG answered smiling. In the silence, Myka struggled with the fact that this was a perfectly reasonable request that any one of them could make but how come Helena never mentioned it to her?

"Well, I guess….," Artie started to say but HG was out of her chair.

"Many thanks, Artie," was the only warning before she left the room. Artie took a deep breath.

"Again, Myka. Could you please enlighten your subordinate agent that she needs to wait until the _end _of the meeting before bolting? And maybe give me a days' notice before taking a personal day? Now, where was I?" Artie huffed.

Myka couldn't have caught up if she tried. HG was through the kitchen and out the back door. Jake was out there an hour already and she wanted to waste no time getting there. Leena watched out the window as HG hurried through the back yard and into the wooded area. Jake was indeed working already and he was anxious for his employer to come out to meet him.

* * *

><p>Luanne sat in her car out of sight. She had followed him down the back roads to the wooded area. She was feeling really foolish as she watched her husband shovel and plant bushes. He was working at a fast, steady pace and had already removed his shirt. <em>God, how she loved that man<em>. She could have just left and he would never have known she was there but that wasn't the kind of woman she was. She was planning her apology speech for being an over reactive wife when something caught her attention. A dark haired woman was walking out of the woods toward the end of the property where her husband was. A dark haired, skinny, beautiful woman. Luanne got the gun and sat in the car and watched.

"Good morning, Jake," called Helena.

"Good morning, Helena," he answered.

Jake stood on some planks at the entrance of the tea garden. He tried to caution Helena not to move further but she was so terribly distracted. If she thought the man had a chiseled chest with rippling muscles when his shirt was unbuttoned, there was no doubt now as he stood there shirtless, glistening in the morning sun. Had she not been distracted, she might have noticed the earth getting very thick with mud beneath her but HG's focus was upward. The young man called out to stop but it was too late. Helena's feet were stuck in the mud and as she moved forward she fell down. She instinctively put her hands out in front of her but the slimy dirt gave way and she slid all the way until she was prostrate. The cold muck slipped into her shirt, her boots, her hair. The only place it hadn't gotten into was her mouth. For that, HG was very grateful because it allowed her to scream.

Jake rushed to where she was but it took him some time since he knew what would happen if he rushed into the patch.

"Helena, remember when I told you about the drainage problem I suspected back here? Well, here's the proof," he said as he put his hand out to her.

She shot him a look that if he knew her better he would have understood to mean; '_Really_?' but he didn't know HG so he just stared back with his boyish good looks. HG grabbed his hand and he pulled her up.

"Oh, Helena," was all he said confirming that indeed HG looked as awful as she felt. She caught the look on his face and started to laugh. '_How funny will Myka find this when I tell her the whole story_?' HG thought.

He looked at Helena as she broke into laughter and took this as his cue that it was ok to let out his own. The woman really did look funny covered in mud. But in all the frivolity, HG let go of his hand and started to move and slipped. This time she put her hands out and they found his chest. Her two palms slid slowly down his pectoral muscles until her hands reached his belt and she hung on. He wanted to reach out and grab the woman but his arms simply wouldn't move. Perhaps it was the sensation of having her hands slide down his skin that prevented him from moving. Helena raised her head up enough to see that in fact, she was hanging onto Jake's belt and that it was preventing her from slipping anymore.

Luanne took in what she was witnessing. Tears welled up in her eyes and she grabbed for a tissue before slowly opening the car door and getting out.

"Oh, bloody hell," she said as she used his belt as leverage to raise herself up once again.

"I am ever so sorry," she said as she realized how muddied she had made him.

Helena reached out her hands as if to brush the dirt off his chest but stopped short of touching him. Touching him with her hands would have only made everything worse. Across the board worse. He smiled when he saw her bite her lower lip. Perhaps that pent up frustration inside her was causing the delay but Helena couldn't move. He was smiling at Helena's gaze and she was screaming in her head to move; move back; yes move away.

* * *

><p>Inside the dining room, Artie was slowly going over things when Pete finally shot up out of the chair.<p>

"Myka, you better come with me. I got a really bad vibe," was all he said as he left the room in hurry. Myka looked at Artie only for a second before following Pete. Artie looked around as agents disappeared on him. Claudia got up but stopped. "Well, we might as well all go to see what is going on," Artie said.

Myka called after Pete to slow down but he was moving fast. She finally caught up with him in the wooded area at the back of the B&B property. And the sight that greeted them on the other side was the last thing anyone ever expected.

* * *

><p>Helena had moved in the slime to get out of the area but Jake proved not to be the steady rock his body appeared to be. In spite of the terrific height difference, HG's propulsion forward caught him off guard and now she lay atop him. Their lips hit when her head hit his and it wasn't a kiss as much as a slamming of mouths. "Ouch," she yelled as her lip hit his teeth. And the only thing that distracted her was his hands that he used to catch her which were now on her buttocks.<p>

From the distance of her fellow agents and worse yet Jake's wife, it did look as if they kissed and were in an embrace. Pete turned to look at Myka whose face immediately registered what she thought; "I'm gonna kill her." But Luanne got there first.

The sound of the shot gun caught everyone's attention. Jake knew immediately whose gun that was and jumped up so fast; he knocked Helena on the ground. It would take HG a minute to actually sit up and take in the scenario around her. She instinctively went for her tesla but that had been lost in the mud somewhere. Pete and Myka both went for their guns, but no one had theirs. The moved slowly toward the scene.

"Luanne?" the surprised voice said. "What are you doing here?" he asked.

HG stood up and turned to see a very tall, blonde woman with a rifle – its barrel pointing to the sky and resting on her shoulder. She had sent that shot into the air.

"Madam, did you just fire that rifle?" HG asked in all seriousness. She was entertaining the thought that this woman was out hunting or perhaps insane. HG didn't realize it but her question confirmed that Luanne was hearing a British accent.

"Are you having an affair with this woman, Jake?" Luanne asked and her voice got filled with emotion.

"What? No, Luanne. No! This is my employer," Jake said quickly.

"Are you insane woman?" HG put it more succinctly. "I am not having an affair. An affair? Who is this woman?" HG asked still unable to piece this together.

"I am his wife!" Luanne said. HG's head swung back to look at Jake.

"So you're not having an affair?" she asked again.

"Honey, Helena asked me to work on a project and she paid me a lot of money. I wanted to use it to take us on vacation. I wanted it to be a surprise," he said sincerely.

His words softened the look in his wife's eyes. She laid down the gun which was empty. She had never intended to shoot anyone – just shoot a warning shot to get their attention. Jake moved carefully along the wooden planks leaving HG standing by herself. Pete grabbed his tesla, just in case they needed it.

"Well, I am very happy you two could have this warm reunion but if you don't mind, could you please help me get out of here!" HG snapped.

"I was so afraid you were having an affair with her," Luanne said to her husband ignoring HG.

"With her? You know you're the only woman for me," Jake said forgetting all about how he just grabbed Helena.

"But she was on top of you," the wife said aloud and now Pete and Myka were coming up behind HG.

"She wouldn't listen to me about the drainage issue and found out the hard way," he said.

"Oh alright. OK, you were right about the drainage issue. You're bloody brilliant! Very good. Now could you please help me…," HG said yelling at the love birds.

"Did you just yell at my husband?" the woman asked.

"Pardon? Did I just yell? Yes, I yelled you bloody fool. Do you not see me standing in this mess your husband made? " HG shouted completely out of patience as mud seeped into places one should never experience.

HG heard Myka call her name and that is why she never saw Luanne come at her. It only took a few steps for the much taller woman to march right to where HG stood barely balancing herself. She saw Pete and Myka but sensed the body next to her and turned to find herself staring into the ample chest of the woman.

"Oh bloody…," was all HG got out before the woman knocked her to the ground.

"Don't you yell at my …," was all the wife got out before HG used her own legs to knock the woman over.

Myka ran to the edge of the planks, calling for them to stop. Actually, she was yelling for the larger woman to get off Helena. The two women were now covered in mud and Luanne had HG pinned by her shoulders. Myka was yelling to let her friend go and stepped ever so carefully to reach out and collar the woman. The idea that someone was hurting HG propelled her to act. It was sheer adrenalin that pumped through Myka's body allowing her to lift this woman off Helena. She reached down and grabbed her friend and HG was horizontal before she knew it.

Myka was winded. She turned to look at the two able bodied men who stood on either side of them. Jake was bending down to help his wife up. "Wow, Luanne. The way you defended me…," he said as they kissed. Myka looked at Pete who was motionless and just staring. He would not forget the sight of two women fighting in a mud hole for some years to come.

"What?" he said when he felt the weight of Myka's stare.

"A little help here, Pete?" she yelled and he grabbed HG and they walked out of the muck.

"You look like hell, HG," was the first thing he said to her and she wanted very much to answer him but Myka was marching off.

"Myka, wait," HG implored but Myka kept walking.

"You said you knew what you were doing, HG," he reminded her and if she wasn't intent on catching up to Myka, she would have shared her inner most feelings about him.

"Myka, please," HG said as Myka stormed ahead and then suddenly stopped. Myka felt angry and scared. Someone had fired a gun! And someone was beating up her friend. Right after her friend was kissing the gardener. It was too many things for Myka to sort through. She did as HG asked; she stopped but Helena was taken aback by the fury in Myka's eyes.

"Myka? Why are you upset, darling?" HG asked sincerely. "He was building a tea garden for you."

Now that was not what Myka expected. And she wanted very much to reach out and hug Helena for doing one of the sweetest things anyone had ever done for her. But she couldn't push aside the other feelings of hurt and anger – even if HG hadn't intentionally caused them. She wanted to thank Helena but what came out instead was; "You were all over him Helena. I saw you kiss him!"

"What? I was all over him because I fell. I didn't kiss him. I hit his mouth," HG said defensively.

"His hands were on your ass, Helena!" Myka said as the hurt rose inside her quickly.

"And you're going to blame me for that?" HG asked incredulously.

But Myka didn't have an answer. She knew she was over reacting and in front of everyone but she couldn't calm down. She had spent the last few days thinking about Helena and their relationship and where it was going. Myka was in brand new territory and threatened easily.

"Please just leave me alone," Myka said as she stormed into the house. Leena was inside now and watched as once again someone traipsed mud through the rooms and up the stairs for the second time that week. She went outside and slammed the door behind her stopping Helena from entering.

"Oh no you don't. You cannot go into the house like that, Helena," Leena said firmly.

"But …," HG said because there was little she was going to let stand in her way but now the others were on the back porch, too.

"You did it this time, HG," Pete said unsympathetically. He didn't want to be hard on the Brit but he saw the look of hurt on Myka's face.

"Agent Wells, I don't even know where to begin," Artie said.

"But all I wanted to do was build a tea garden," HG said in her own defense and if it were anyone else other than Myka, they would have given her a break.

"I'm sorry, a what?" Leena asked trying to put all of this together.

"Yeah, HG had your gardener building a tea garden, didn't' she tell you?" Pete asked.

"No, she didn't," Leena said turning to HG waiting for the explanation. "Oh, Helena. You weren't with Jake, were you? I heard his wife talking the other day about … is that who fired the gun? Are you okay?," she said trying to see if there were any wounds under that mud.

"Oh so that was the wife that attacked you?" Pete said but that was more information that Artie needed to know.

"Wow, Agent Wells. A tryst, a jealous wife and gun shots all before work," Artie said but his sarcasm was lost on HG. She had to get into Myka.

"Please, I need to go in and talk to Myka," she pleaded with more patience than she thought any of them deserved.

"Oh, no you are not going into my kitchen like that," Leena said.

Helena turned to Pete, her eyes begging for his help.

"Come on, HG. I have an idea," he said finally and Helena figured he meant she could go through the front of the house.

"Stand here," he said as he retrieved the garden hose.

"Have you lost your senses?" the Brit asked when she figured out that he intended to use it on her.

"You want to get in there right?" he asked before he turned it one and hit her with the coldest water she had ever felt.

"It's freezing," she complained.

"It will prepare you for what awaits you inside I think, HG," Pete said guessing what Myka's reception would be like for her.

Leena brought out towels to the back porch and Helena dried off as best she could as she shivered from her outdoor shower. She took off her boots and socks ruined by the morning escapade and soaked up as much water from her clothes as she could. When she was not dripping anymore, Leena allowed her into the kitchen. She looked down at the mud strewn floor and followed the trail up the stairs.

"You can return the favor and clean that up for Myka," Leena suggested and HG nodded her head.

"It will be good practice for when you're groveling back to Myka," Pete said thinking he was funny.

Leena knew Helena well enough to know that she didn't care what state she was in, she would head straight for Myka's door. So she accompanied her up and gently guided Helena into her own room.

"Get changed Helena and please take a shower to get that mud out of your hair and God knows where else," Leena pleaded.

'I am running a daycare center,' she said under her breath.

Helena went into her room to do as Leena asked. But she hurried through her shower and got dressed, hoping to catch Myka before she went to work. She came out in time to hear the cars pulling away out front. She went downstairs feeling awful. Leena greeted her with the bucket and scrub brush.

"Here you go, Helena," she said and ignored the glare from the perturbed agent.

"We'll talk about how you built a tea garden on my property without asking me when I get back from town," Leena said in a tone that was unlike her. She wasn't really opposed to it and in fact, it sounded quite lovely. But she would have liked to have been at least consulted on the idea.

Leena drove off and Helena sighed and went about cleaning up the mess Myka's mud ridden boots had made. As she removed the dirt and grime from the carpet, her thoughts vacillated between feeling bad that she had upset Myka and angry that Myka would not let her explain. It truly was a misunderstanding. She had nothing but good intentions and how dare Myka not trust her enough to at least explain what had happened. The more the thought about it, the harder she scrubbed the carpet clean. The harder she scrubbed, the angrier she got. After thinking it over, Helena decided Myka was at fault here not she. She was now removing the dirt from the floor outside Myka's room.

'_She couldn't take the damn boots off_?' HG said to herself.

How dare Myka make this situation worse than it already was? She had practically been shot at! Well, more like in the vicinity of the gun when it went off but still - the crazed wife had jumped her. That was it. Helena was convinced she was the victim in all of this and when she got a hold of Myka Ophelia Bering; she was going to give her a piece of her mind!

"So help me, I will …," is what Helena was saying out loud just as the door to Myka's bedroom swung open. Helena was staring at Myka's feet. She looked up at the woman she was just about to give a piece of her mind to. She hadn't gone to work at all – she was there the whole time. Myka looked down at Helena who was sitting back on her heels.

"You look like Cinderella," Myka said in a much calmer voice and she put her hand out to help HG up.

"I was cleaning up your mess," HG said sheepishly.

"I'd like to talk about the one you made actually," Myka said and stood aside so HG could come in.

HG went into the room and in spite of all the self-talking she had done to convince herself that this was Myka's fault, she stood there silently. That's when Myka noticed the slight swelling of HG's lower lip. She hadn't kissed the gardener at all; she really had fallen into him. Myka felt awful for doubting her.

"Your lip …," she said and ran her thumb across the injured skin.

"Oh, Myka," HG said as she cupped her hand against her face. "I am so sorry for all this," HG said apologetically even though she wasn't sure what she was apologizing for. For Myka, she would take the blame for anything and everything.

Myka knew HG really had nothing to feel sorry for but didn't want to spend the time right now explaining that. She pushed HG back against the wall and moved in to touch her lips gently.

"It's my fault, Helena," she said when she released the woman. "I was scared and jealous and I don't know what else," Myka confessed and she kissed HG again. "I'm sorry I doubted you."

"Thank you, Myka," Helena said softly. "Now tell me again …," she asked and closed her eyes as Myka took her cue and kissed Helena's waiting lips.

'_God if she had done this before, I dare say the gardener would not have caught my attention at all_,' Helena thought to herself.

* * *

><p>By the time Leena returned from town with the groceries and several different kinds of tea for Helena's tea garden, Myka and HG were down stairs. Myka was slowly getting over her guilt although she would continue to be hard on herself for her actions and for doubting Helena. HG had moved on past the events and was just happy that Myka appeared more settled.<p>

It wasn't until later did Helena get a text from Jake to come back out to the garden. He had a surprise for her. "Oh bloody hell, now what?" HG said.

* * *

><p>I sense some of you faithful readers will not be happy with this and think it unfair to HG.<br>But Myka will make things right, fear not.


	6. Out of Mud and Into Hot Water

**Chapter 6 Out of Mud and Into Hot Water**

"Jake would like me to come to the tea garden area," Helena said looking at the text.

"Oh, does he?" Myka said still registering a tone left over from this morning. "I'm going with you," Myka said firmly.

"Myka Bering! Don't you trust me?" HG teased her.

"I trust you but I am not so sure about the gardener," Myka said with the image of his hands all over HG's buttocks.

"I believe him to a very devoted husband," HG said thinking back to how he and his wife were kissing after she jumped her in the mud.

"Yes and fortunately for you Helena, his wife believes that, too," Myka said and she wasn't kidding.

They walked into the yard and back through the wooded area to where the garden was. This time, Myka could appreciate just what it was. Jake had put the privacy trees in a circular design and in front of them, a row of rose bushes. There was an opening in the front to access the area. She could imagine a small table and chairs in the center.

Helena noticed that there was now a patch of white stones at the entrance where she had spent most of the morning ensconced in mud.

"Helena!" Jake called out to her. He was standing there with a shovel, shirtless and glistening in the late afternoon sun. Even Myka stared for a second at the muscled specimen before them. A second.

"Helena, look! Luanne came up with the idea of putting the stones in to help with the drainage," he called out.

"Oh did she?" Helena said under her breath as she smiled at him. "Brilliant!" she yelled to him.

In fact, it was – the stones allowed the water drainage to veer off to the sides and away from the garden.

"I dare say we will not have to trudge through mud to have tea," HG said and then she looked at Myka who was standing there with tears in her eyes.

"Myka, are you ok, darling?" HG asked with great concern when she saw her.

"Helena, no one has ever done anything so sweet for me in all my life," Myka said as tears streaked her cheeks. "I have always wanted a tea garden," she whispered.

Helena hugged her and pulled her in. "You, Myka Bering shall have everything you have ever wanted," she whispered back. Myka wiped the tears away and smiled. Her heart filled with the emotion of being with so kind a person.

"Everything OK? I fixed the drainage problem," the young man called over to them as he started to approach them.

"Oh, yes, all is well, thank you Jake. Nice job here," Helena said as he came closer.

"Wow, you look a lot better than the last time I saw you," he said to HG and she was about to say something back when she caught sight of his wife coming towards them.

"Oh good, I see your wife is still here," HG said and only Myka picked up on the fact that it was dripping with sarcasm. "I should like to give her a piece of my mind," HG said and even that the gardener took as a compliment.

"Honey, come here. Helena wants to thank you for your idea with the stones," he yelled to her and Myka smiled at his misinterpretation.

Then Myka noticed the way Helena was staring at the gardener. She kept waiting for HG's gaze to loosen. He was walking toward them and she could see the way HG's eyes were fastened to his chest. And she was sure if she could notice it; his approaching wife might see it.

"Helena?" Myka said softly but HG did not respond. '_Are you kidding me_?' is what Myka was thinking but didn't say out loud.

"Helena?" she said a second time but this time pulled at HG's arm. Helena answered but never diverted her eyes.

"Oh we are _so _talking about this later, " Myka said out loud but HG never responded to her threat.

Luanne now joined Jake and they walked to where the agents stood.

"Hi Helena. Hi …," Luanne said waiting for HG to introduce Myka but she was back to stumbling over her words again.

"Oh, yes this is …yes, eh my partner, Myka Bering," HG finally got out.

'_You are in such trouble_,' Myka thought as she shook their hands. "Sorry about this morning, " Myka said first since she had manhandled the woman.

"Oh, me too! I am so sorry to both of you. I have never been so jealous in my life and I snapped. But the silver lining in all this is that being down here in the mud before gave me an idea on how to help Jake with the drainage problem. Ain't it funny how a solution could come out of all of that?" the young blonde said laughing. "No hard feelings, I hope," the wife now said to Helena.

"Yes," she answered absentmindedly because she kept glancing at the very hard muscles in Jake's upper body. She wanted to look away but when she did she remembered what it was like to have he hands slide down the expanse of that chest and run her fingers over those ripples ….

"Helena!" Myka said sternly and it snapped HG back into the present.

"Pardon?" HG asked to be polite but gave herself up.

"No hard feelings I hope," the wife reiterated.

"Oh, no. None at all," Helena said automatically and chided herself for not paying more attention.

"Helena, if you give this a day or two to dry out, I don't think you'll have any problem with the water," Jake said proudly.

"We cleaned up as much as we could when we put the stones in," Luanne said and Myka realized just how tall a woman she was. She was above her husband's shoulder and he was well over 6 feet by inches Myka assessed.

"That's wonderful. A great idea. Thank you both," HG said.

"I should thank you, Helena," Luanne said coming closer to HG and now it was obvious how much taller this woman was. She could snap Helena like a twig if she wanted to.

"What started out as one of the worst days of my life has actually turned out to be a turning point for me and Jake," she said. "And I owe it all to you."

"Do you now?" Helena asked ready to take the credit even if she didn't quite get why.

"Well, if I hadn't thought Jake was having an affair, I would never have come out here today. And if I didn't come out here, I would never have heard you yell at him. And if I hadn't heard you yell at him, I would never have pounced on you. And Jake liked that I did that," she explained.

"Glad I could oblige," Helena said remembering the unpleasant feeling of that large woman sitting on her.

"I see why he likes your accent. You sound all proper and all," Luanne said and Myka saw the chesire grin come across HG's face.

"Oh, does he?" Helena said looking at an embarrassed Jake.

Myka spun on her heels to look at Helena. Was she still flirting with him? What was the grin on her face? Was she enjoying the fact that this man liked her accent?

Helena was in her own little world at the moment. She could not explain to herself what it was that the sight of this bare chested man did to her but it was something that took hold of her and caused her to forget in whose company she was.

In front of his wife and Myka? Was she insane?

Had HG had been more experienced at this – she would have known how inconsiderate her behavior was. But Helena had never really been attached to one person the way she was with Myka. She went where her heart and libido took her and it had never really been an issue before. There was a small part of her brilliant brain trying to alert her that she was in trouble akin to '_danger Will Robinson, danger_' but HG was not taking note of it just yet.

"Helena, I think you'll be fine for now and in the spring, I can come back and finish the garden, " Jake said as he put his arm around his wife. They made a very nice couple.

"That would be fine," Helena said. "Thank you for all your work," she added.

"Thanks to you, Helena I'm taking Luanne on a second honeymoon. We leave this weekend," he said smiling broadly.

"Oh, before I forget," said Luanne as she went back to her car and came back carrying something. "I think this belongs to you," she said handing Helena her mud caked tesla. "What is that a Taser or something?"

"Yes, something like that," HG said grateful to see it again so she didn't have to explain to Artie that she lost it.

Myka reached over and took the gun from HG. She tried to bang some of the dirt off of it. Artie would not be happy if this had to be repaired.

They all started to shake hands and say goodbye when Jake reached into this back pocket and pulled out his business card. "Now you call me in the spring when you want me to finish this up, Helena." he said as he handed her his card. Helena thanked him and he and Luanne went to their truck and car and drove off.

Only after they were gone, did Helena turn around and catch the look on Myka's face. She stood there with her arms crossed as if waiting for HG to say something.

"What?" she asked Myka unsure of what her expression meant.

"You don't know, do you?" Myka asked because she could tell Helena wasn't faking it.

"Know what, darling?" HG asked calmly.

"Helena, you were staring at him," Myka pointed out. Helena thought about what Myka said as she first attempted to protest.

"No I wasn't …. Well, maybe but only because he was talking … I mean … uhm…. Not staring really," HG tried.

"Do you know that I have learned that when the great HG Wells cannot complete a sentence, it is indubitably because she is lying?" Myka said smiling at HG.

"Indubitably? Is that so?" HG said realizing she had been caught by one of the best agents the US Government had and there was no sense in trying to get out of it.

"Yes, that is so," Myka said feigning disinterest.

"In my defense …," HG started but caught the arched eyebrow on Myka's face and knew there was none.

"So what exactly was going through that beautiful mind of yours when you were staring away there, Agent Wells?" Myka asked knowing she had HG.

"Going through my mind? Before? I am not sure I remember," HG said because she really was blocking out anything that could cause more trouble.

"Aha, nice defense. We are _so_ not through with this, Helena," Myka said calmly but HG did not get the sense she was teasing.

"Myka, the man's wife was right there," HG started to point out how ridiculous her friend was being.

"Yes, I know and so was I. Yet, in spite of that Helena, your eyes were glued to that man's body," Myka said with a '_don't push it_' tone in her voice.

Helena thought this all over. Yes, she had been slightly infatuated with seeing the bare chested man but wasn't all of this in part because Myka had been so coy and played hard to get? Hadn't she been toying with Helena's affections albeit subconsciously perhaps for weeks now? When HG thought about it this way, it seemed very clear to her that Myka indeed should share in the blame.

As if reading Helena's thoughts, Myka stopped in her tracks and turned to her friend. "You know I'm carrying the Tesla, right?" she asked her teasingly but it did make HG decide to rethink her thoughts before sharing her theory.

When they got to the house, the others were home and Leena was putting out dinner. The first thing Artie saw was the dirt encrusted Tesla.

"Really, Agent Wells? What did you do to it?" he asked looking at it.

"I fell on it," HG said truthfully.

"Well, given the state I saw you in this morning; I am not surprised that it is covered in mud. Get working on that first thing tomorrow to see if it even works, please?" he ordered and HG shook her head yes.

"Oh and by the way. No more personal days for you. Not for a while anyway," he said less sternly than he had intended.

"How is my tea garden?" Leena asked smiling at HG.

"Your..," and HG stopped short of telling her she was mistaken. "Yes, about that. I should have mentioned it to you, Leena."

"Now when you say you should have '_mentioned_' it , Helena do you mean updated me on _your _plans or asked my permission?" Leena asked out of curiosity but everyone at the table wanted to know.

"Don't be ridiculous…..," HG started to say but stopped short of completing her thought which was '_why would I update the hired help_?' But that would not have been a correct statement. Leena was not the hired help. She was the owner. And Helena was living in her house. This was a concept that did not come easily to the time traveler. Her hesitancy was her worst enemy. Everyone was waiting for her answer.

"I should have asked your permission, Leena. I apologize," HG said sincerely but it still didn't feel comfortable to her. That was not Leena's fault though.

"OK, Helena. Well, if you're planning on any other projects, I do hope you'll give me a heads up," Leena said affably.

"Yeah, HG why can't you use that brain of yours to figure out how to get enough hot water for all of us to shower?" Pete asked since this was his priority.

"I shall give it some thought, Mr. Lattimer," HG smiled.

"First work on that Tesla, Agent Wells," Artie repeated because he wanted work done before Pete's pleasure.

The agents enjoyed dinner and Pete kept going back to how muddy Helena was that morning in spite of her obvious discomfort in his retelling it. Pete was not letting go of that image for some time though. He stayed away from teasing HG about the gardener but only out of respect of Myka. He sensed things were budding between them and he didn't want to cause any rifts.

But that didn't mean he was giving HG the benefit of the doubt. He had little to go on since he didn't talk to HG a great deal about her past life. However, her comment that '_many of my lovers were men_' indicated to Pete that she was an experienced woman. Far more experienced that Myka. And that concerned him. HG had a habit of saying or doing whatever she wanted and Pete knew it. He almost liked it since it meant someone else was in trouble more than he was. But he was protective of Myka and he was going to keep an eye on HG when it came to her. A very close eye.

Which is why he was surprised he didn't see the next thing that HG did coming. As carefully as he was watching, there was no foreseeing that.

* * *

><p>The agents had retired to their bedrooms. Helena removed her second set of clothes for the day. That's when Jake's business card fell out of her back pocket. She picked it up and looked at it. Suddenly, it hit her. Could this be? After all these years? Was it possible? If it was, it could possible explain a lot of things and get her out of hot water. She grabbed her phone and sent Jake a text; 'I need to see you'. 'When?' he texted back. 'First thing tomorrow here. Around 7 AM?' she asked and he texted back 'OK'.<p>

"Good," Helena thought and she looked at the card again with his name embossed on it: _Jake Connolly_

* * *

><p>Thanks so much for the feedback esp after last chapter which was long!<br>I appreciate you taking the time to send them. I read them all.


	7. Honesty is the Best Policy

**Chapter 7 Honesty is the Best Policy**

Helena was not intentionally sneaking out of the house but she was being very quiet so as not to disturb her fellow agents. She had it all planned out of course. She would meet Jake by the tea garden and be back in plenty of time for the morning meeting. She felt fortunate that not even Leena was in the kitchen when she left.

* * *

><p>It wasn't a really bad vibe that Pete woke up with that morning but it was something that he took note of. Something was off and he got up and searched the house to see if anyone was awake yet. It appeared everyone was still in their rooms but then he heard the kitchen door close softly. He quickly dressed and went downstairs not even stopping at the refrigerator which was a first for Pete. He looked at the back window and saw HG walking in the yard toward the trees. Maybe she was going to check on the tea garden. Pete desperately wanted to give her the benefit of the doubt especially since his vibe meter was not going off. He decided he would this time. The fact that Leena came in and said she was making cinnamon buns for breakfast had little to do with it.<p>

* * *

><p>Myka was rolling over in her bed promising herself just five more minutes and she would get up. The prior day's events had worn her out both physically and emotionally. When the adrenalin rush subsided yesterday, her muscles reminded her that she had lifted a very large woman with one arm in one pull. Then she pulled HG to her feet with the other. And all while Pete stood there and watched. '<em>What was going through his mind<em>?' she wondered.

Being with Helena was certainly an experience. She wasn't just exploring her relationship with HG; she was learning how that very keen mind worked. She smiled to herself when she thought just how sweet Helena was for thinking of having a tea garden built. It was so amazing to Myka, who did things by the book both professionally and in her personal life, that Helena didn't follow any rules and simply moved forward without question. It didn't always turn out well and that, Myka thought, was the lesson Helena was learning. '_I have to take into account that she is still adjusting to a whole new world_,' she reminded herself. '_There are so many new things for her to learn. So much has changed. There is so little left of her world_,' Myka said silently in her half-awake state.

She had no idea that as she thought these things, Helena was downstairs reaching into the past with a vengeance.

* * *

><p>Helena was also talking to herself – all the way back to the garden area where she silently prayed Jake would be fully clothed. She had decided that the effect this man was having on her was simply a combination of her own pent up frustrations as she waited patiently for Myka to come around and that this man was probably a descendant of her lover from many years ago. One hundred and twenty five years ago.<p>

Jake waved to Helena from his truck and came down the slope as soon as he saw her.

"Good morning, Helena," he said as he walked towards her.

Helena smiled and waved back. "Thank you Jake for coming out here so early. I could have asked you all of this on the phone…," and then HG stopped because she didn't know exactly why she had decided they needed to do this in person.

"Jake, this is a rather odd question but do you know anything about your ancestors?" HG asked the young man.

"My ancestors?" he asked quizzically as he scratched his clean shaven face. He was dressed in a buttoned up deep green shirt. "You mean like my father's family or my mom's family?"

"Well, yes but specifically your father's side for now," HG clarified as she noticed for the first time that his eyes were green. Not as light as Myka's but they were green or maybe hazel.

"Well, let's see my dad's family came here a long time ago," Jake said thinking about her inquiry.

"From where?" HG asked.

"Ireland. My grandfather was here in the 1920's. He was a gardener at the White House," he said proudly.

"Lovely," HG said unimpressed because she wanted to go back further.

"And his father?" she asked.

"Hmmm, his father was a gardener for the Queen," Jake laughed at the irony of the conversation. "Yeah, he was working for your country, can you imagine that?"

"Yes, and his father. Do you know his father's name?" HG asked.

"Well, let's see. Hey how come you want to know all this?" Jake finally asked.

"Darling, I'll explain it all when we're done," she instructed trying to get him back on track.

"Oh, Ok so my father's name is Michael, his dad's name was Michael, and his dad's name was Michael and his dad's name was Collin. Isn't that funny? All Michael's except for him and me," Jake pointed out then added, '"But my brother is Michael."

Helena was trying to fit the names and times together to see if in fact this man was the descendant of her favorite gardener.

"And were all of them gardeners?" she asked.

"Well, not just gardeners, Helena. You see way back when; my great great great grandfather came into a bit of money and was able to open up his own business. That's how my great grandfather worked for royalty and my grandfather worked at the White House. My dad could have worked there, too but he wanted to move out here where my mom was from," he said. "That's how I got to be in South Dakota," he finished.

"That is very sweet, Jake," she said thinking how his dad had given up a job like that to marry his mother.

"So is that everything you wanted to know?" Jake asked.

Helena looked at the man's face that stood before her. Yes, there was a great deal of similarity in the eyes she thought. And his lips were so familiar to her that she put her hand out and ran her finger over them.

She was immediately taken back to that summer when Collin kissed her in the rose garden. She had never kissed a man before and it sent explosions of fireworks throughout her body. He was so gentle and warm that she allowed herself to follow his lead into uncharted territory. He brought her unbridled passion to new heights and she would never forget him because you never forget your first.

"Helena?" the young man asked as her fingers slid over his lips that reminded her of Collin. She stopped and looked into those eyes. Fire shot up her spine as memories brought her to that place again when Collin whispered her name in the rose garden. She leaned up her toes to get closer to his face.

Jake was confused by the whole morning. What did his ancestors have to do with any of this? Maybe Helena worked for one of those genealogy places and was conducting research for the town on where the citizens were from. But how dangerous a job could it be that she carried some sort of Taser? He was trying to figure out what the connection was as he stared into those deep pools filled with what he thought was raw desire. He was caught between wanting to be faithful and having just a little taste of what Helena was definitely on the verge of offering.

Helena leaned in further and then she saw it. Her reflection in his eyes. Not _his _eyes but the Connolly eyes - - Myka's eyes. She pulled back immediately, leaving Jake with his head slightly bent towards her.

"I am so sorry," she said more to Myka than Jake but he heard her. "I should never have tried that."

"It's ok," Jake said. "I knew this probably wasn't a good idea. I told Luanne that," he admitted.

"Pardon?" HG asked waiting to hear the click of a gun and stood back looking around.

"It's OK, Helena. Luanne isn't here. I told her I was coming here because you wanted to see me about something. I tell her everything. I'll probably tell her about this. I mean, you are a very tempting woman, Helena. Any guy would be lucky to have you but I got a good thing with Luanne and I don't want to mess that up," he spoke truthfully.

"You tell her everything?" HG asked more interested in how modern relationships work.

"Pretty much," he said. "You gotta be honest in a relationship or it eats away at it," the gardener slash philosopher told her. Helena stood there thinking about what he said.

"So you suggesting that I tell Myka that I almost kissed you and that is the better thing to do?" she asked her words coated in her thick accent.

"Myka? Well, yeah if that's who it would matter most to," Jake said putting all of this together.

"I mean, Helena, you didn't kiss me. You might have wanted to but you didn't. Myka should know that," he said. "I think she'll be glad to know that."

"Then I shall tell her," HG said affirmatively trusting that the young man knew something about this.

"Take care of yourself, Helena. I will see you in the spring," he said as he left. Helena began her walk back to the house.

* * *

><p>This was all new to Helena. Sharing the wrongs that you almost committed? She thought back to that summer and how much trouble she got into with Charles when he found out she had been spending time with the staff. And Charles didn't know the half of it. But he made sure her parents kept close tabs on her as often as they could and he kept a close eye on her at the parties in the evenings. But Helena was on her best behavior at those parties with the other well to do families. The same could not be said for her when she left the parties to see Collin or Michael. Or when she turned in to bed with the help of her maid.<p>

The summer came back to her in vivid color. They lay on the grass under the stars one night as the music played in the grand ballroom in the manor.

"What do you want out of life, Collin?" she asked him and he laughed.

"What do I want? Or what will I get?" he asked being realistic.

"What is your dream, Collin?" the inventor asked him.

"My dream? Where do you get these questions, Helena? Well, if I had to pick a dream, I would say I wish I had money to open up my own nursery and maybe sell the trees and plants to the very best families in England. I would take care of the gardening at the very best homes in London. Maybe your home, Helena," he said as he bent down to kiss her.

"What is your dream, Helena?" Collin asked as he lay back beside her.

"I want to travel," she said.

Leaving Waddesdon Manor at the end of the summer was one of the hardest things Helena had ever had to do. Her heart ached with missing for months after she left her four beloved new friends. She had never known such kindness and tenderness before. She sent money to each of the siblings and asked that they use it for finding their dreams.

At least now she knew, Collin had done so.

* * *

><p>If Helena thought Charles' stern look that she saw often that summer was intimidating, it was nothing compared to the look on Pete's face when she came upon him on her walk back. He was standing at the cusp of the woods with Claudia. '<em>Did these people ever have anything to do?<em>' she thought to herself.

"Oh, hello Pete, Claudia" she said a little startled to see them and then caught sight of his expression.

"Helena?" he said unable to put his thoughts into words just yet but his face said it all.

"What?" she asked innocently because she was not sure how much of this they had witnessed? Most of it was the answer.

"Look, what you do out here with the gardener- god is your business but I'm not going to let you hurt Myka…," he started.

"What? I didn't do anything!" she protested and it was a scene right out of that summer. How many times had she uttered that same phrase to Charles?

"Really? I saw what you did Helena," Pete said to her.

"What did you see? I didn't do anything," she tried again.

"Oh, has the definition of flirting changed a bunch since the 1890's? Cause HG, you were flirting with the guy," Claudia said and it sounded all too familiar to Helena.

"What? I wasn't flirting. I was inquiring. I need to find out about his ancestors," she said and then realized how lame that might sound.

"That is so lame," Pete confirmed. "You better come up with something better than that to tell Myka."

"No, I am going to tell Myka everything," HG shared.

"Everything?" Pete asked and now he sounded doubtful.

"Well, yes. I am going to be very honest with Myka and explain to her what I did," HG announced unequivocally.

Now it was Claudia who asked; "Everything?"

"It has been pointed out to me that the basis of any good relationship is honesty. So I shall tell Myka everything," HG said.

Now Pete and Claudia looked at each other unsure of what advice to give HG. Asking her to do anything else would sound as if they were telling her to lie or hide this from Myka. Yet both of then knew that hearing the truth didn't always bring about the results one expected.

"You're sure you know what you're doing, HG" Pet e asked and Helena smiled at him.

"Mr. Lattimer, I always know what I am doing," the Brit said walking ahead happy that the issue had been resolved.

"She has no idea what she's doing, does she?" Claudia asked,

"Nope," Pete confirmed.

* * *

><p>By the time everyone was back in the house, Myka's curiosity was more than piqued considering all of her fellow agents were missing.<p>

"Did I miss a memo?" was her subtle way of saying she felt left out.

"I smell cinnamon," Pete said backing out into the kitchen ungracefully.

"Oh, yeah, dude. Cinnamon," Claudia added unnecessarily. Myka saw right through them. So she turned her attention to the only agent left in the room.

"Why are they acting so weird?" she asked.

"Oh well I am not entirely sure I know why they are behaving so strangely. Actually, Myka I'm glad we have a moment alone here because I do want to talk to you," HG said and left Myka wondering what the connection was.

Pete stood at the kitchen door. "Shouldn't we warn Myka that HG is about to be all honest and open and to give her a chance?" Pete inquired.

"Yeah, you just go in there and do that, dude," Claudia said backing away from the door.

"Myka, I found myself very attracted to that young gardener," HG started and Myka's eyes widened but she didn't move. Helena now walked around the dining room table as she relayed: "At first I couldn't understand it. I thought it might have to do with seeing him practically half naked. I am not used to seeing men like that. But there was something more," she added and now Myka fell back in her chair for support. '_There's more_?' she thought.

"I mean he is an exceptional male specimen with incredibly broad…," she went on until Myka said; "I get your point, Helena. I saw him, remember?"

"Oh yes, of course you did. Right-e-o then. Well, I thought about it a lot after I left him that day," HG related.

"The day you fainted?" Myka asked thinking now she understood what happened.

"Yes, that day. There was something about his face that was so very familiar to me. I couldn't stop thinking about it," HG said and Myka grabbed the table.

"You mean when you were kissing me?" she said and finally HG figured it out.

"Oh, Good Lord, Myka no! I meant later, much later. I dare say I could not think of anything but you when you did that," HG said saving herself. "And I fainted because you were touching me."

"Is there a point to this?" Myka asked.

"The point? Yes, of course there is darling. I do no talk just to hear myself," HG said smiling but noticed the stare coming back at her. '_Why was Myka being so impatient? It was not like her_,' HG wondered.

"The point, my dear Myka is that I am being totally honest with you," HG said proudly and Myka swore she could hear Pete moan.

"Oh, geez HG," was what he actually had said on the other side of the door.

"About what, Helena?" Myka said as the pain tightened its grip on her forehead.

"That the reason I was attracted to Jake is because he's related to you!" HG said sticking her chest out as if she just solved the greatest mystery.

"What?" Myka asked but even she was unsure which thing she wanted to address first.

Pete was cringing on the other side of the door. What hadn't he coached her?

"It turns out that he is the great, great grandson of Collin Connolly! Your ancestor!" HG said as if this was the missing piece to a big puzzle.

"Helena, how do you even know this?" Myka asked.

"Well, when I met him this morning, I asked him. Myka, don't you know what this means?" HG asked enthusiastically.

"Yeah, it means she's gonna kill you," Pete said and Claudia joined him at the door.

Not being able to wait for Myka's response, HG gave her the answer. "I was not really attracted to Jake, Myka. He just reminded me of Collin. And I didn't kiss him this morning because of you!"

Myka tried to take in the information Helena was spewing. The gardener was somehow related to her and HG knew this because she asked him this morning? Where? When? And she didn't kiss him ….

"Helena, tell me again how you _didn't kiss_ him?" Myka said very calmly.

"Of course, darling," HG said pleased that Myka was finally getting everything enough to ask questions.

"I was touching his lip because they reminded me so much of …. Myka?" HG said when Myka stood up.

"You were touching his lip?" Myka asked her voice raised and HG finally stopped for a minute to realize Myka was upset – really upset.

"Well, yes but only because they reminded me of Collin's ….," HG stopped herself.

"You're missing the point here, Myka!" HG said losing patience.

"Try me again," Myka said trying to calm herself.

"I wanted to kiss him but didn't because of you, Myka. I don't want to do anything that would hurt us. Not even if they reminded me of Collin's. I only want you," HG said almost out of breath.

"OK, that was better," Pete coached from the kitchen.

"You want me to appreciate that you wanted to kiss the gardener because he reminded you of someone you knew a long time ago but didn't because of me. Is that the gist?" Myka asked and Helena thought it over to see if she hit on every point. No wonder Myka was such a good agent. She really did get the detail of things.

"Yes and that I am being very honest about all this. That's important," HG said calmly. Myka extended her lips and shook her head thinking this over. Helena waited patiently while she did.

"This is all new to you, isn't it Helena?" Myka asked.

"The honesty part? Oh, yes I dare say if I ever admitted that back in my day I would have spent the summer in a great deal of trouble. But Jake told me that honesty is important in a relationship. When he told me that he was going to tell his wife about this morning, I decided that I should tell you," the Brit said and Myka could not help but smile at her innocence.

And then you could have heard the screeching as Myka's brain came to a halt.

"He was going to tell his wife that you almost kissed him, Helena?" Myka asked as the image of a large woman sitting on top of Helena came back to her.

"Well, yes. He said he is very honest with her," HG said missing the point and Myka prayed the couple was leaving on their second honeymoon trip soon.

"So, everything is OK, yes?" Helena said because she was losing interest in repeating the story.

Myka looked up at her friend from her seat. She was struck by how naïve Helena was in this regard. Why shouldn't Myka appreciate that she was being so honest with her? Wasn't that what everyone wanted from their partner? Myka was too confused to sort out most of what Helena said but she did understand the important parts.

Helena had not given in to something she wanted to do - because of Myka. Myka liked that. She liked it a lot.


	8. Able Bodied Men by the Yard

**Chapter 8 Able Bodied Men by the Yard**

Helena could not have been happier. She had solved the mystery of her attraction to the gardener, found out he was in all likelihood related to Myka and had told Myka everything and she was ok with it. She felt proud that she was getting the hang of this relationship stuff. She was in such a good mood that even Artie's presence did not bother her.

"I am happy to announce that we are almost done with the latest inventory sheets. One more day of it should get us in good shape. Pete, could you take a look at the northwest perimeter of the Warehouse when we get over there. The alarm was registering some activity. Might just be the moles chewing on the wires again so I need you to survey it. Claudia, the new software came in for Egyptian cross reference material. Could you up load it and let us know if there's anything we need to learn about it. Myka, two shelves in the Master Library fell down last night. Could you restock them and make sure what we have there is what we think we have there?" Artie asked each of the agents.

Helena sat there quietly waiting for her turn but Artie was shuffling papers and putting them back in his bag; a sure sign that the meeting was over.

"What about HG, Artie?" Myka asked in a protective way.

"Oh, yes. Agent Wells. You are on special assignment today," he said.

"How come she gets to go on special assignment? I haven't been on special assignment in like months, years," Pete complained because the word '_special_' meant well, special.

"OK. Pete. When you're done at the Warehouse, you can join Agent Wells on her special assignment," Artie said.

"Yes! Give me five, HG," Pete said with his hand in the air but Helena simply looked at him.

"Don't leave me hanging here, Wells," he said but she still didn't get it.

"You have so much to learn," Pete said as he grabbed her hand and hit his. "High five. Memorize it, OK?"

Myka didn't like the idea of HG being on special assignment because she understood the real meaning. HG was going to be doing something Artie would probably enjoy her doing too much. And now Pete's big mouth got him involved in it.

"Let's go kids," Artie said and the agents all got up to leave. Helena had no idea what Artie had meant but she went along thinking he would tell her when they got to the Warehouse.

"HG, your equipment is outside," was all the indication he gave her. She stepped outside on the porch with the others and looked around. She didn't see anything other than the cars.

"Oh, here it is," he said as Leena walked from the other end of the porch and handed HG a rake.

"I'm sorry?" HG said because she was perplexed.

"Helena, I called Jake this morning to schedule the rest of the yard work but his wife said they were going away," Leena explained.

"Oh thank God," Myka let out and then realized everyone heard her.

"She also said that Jake would not be able to do anymore work here. It seems she does not want him anywhere near you," Leena said calmly.

"What? Are you bloody kidding me? Me? She does not want him near me?" HG said incredulously but no one was joining her in her surprise.

"That's what she said," Leena confirmed.

"Well, I can see honesty did not work out well for him," HG said and now all eyes were on her. She did not want to have to explain that remark to anyone.

'What does this have to do with anything?" she asked looking the rake up and down.

"Well, in Jake's absence, we need someone to take care of the property," Leena said.

"So I have to rake the yard?" she asked because she could not quite understand it yet.

"Yes, this is your _special _assignment," Artie said a little too cheery.

When Pete realized what the special assignment was, he wanted no part of it. "Hey, HG I'll probably be hung up at the Warehouse for most of the day so you just start without me," he said backing out ungracefully.

"Thanks, Lattimer," she said sardonically.

Helena looked at the rake. "I have no bloody idea how to even use one of these things," she said helplessly looking at Myka. Myka wanted to tell Artie that she would stay with Helena and as if reading her mind he looked at her and said, "No!"

"Oh, I'm sure you'll get the hang of it," Artie said adding, "At least by the second acre." HG shot him a look not appreciating how much he was enjoying this.

"Oh and HG, no building anything to do the job for you. Just do it," he added.

"I'll come home for lunch," Myka said as she left and that was the only bright spot in all of this for HG.

The agents piled into their cars and drove off leaving Helena and Leena on the porch.

"Let me know if you need anything, Helena," Leena said as she went back into the house.

"Need anything? I need someone to do this. I am not the hired help. I cannot believe I have been reduced to doing the yard work. Even Charles would never have done this to me," were just some of the rants HG expressed as she made her way down to the front yard dragging her brand new equipment behind her.

"You_ do_ know the leaves are still falling from the bloody trees?" she called back to Leena and she said yes.

"Just doesn't make any sense at all to me," HG continued.

Helena looked up at the branches that still held many of the objects of her assigned work. She knew that as soon as she cleared the yard, it would be covered again. '_Why not wait until they all fall down_', she wondered. When something didn't make sense to Helena, she would nearly go mad until a solution was found.

Leena looked at the window to see Helena pacing back and forth under the massive trees. She shook her head and smiled at the inventor. _'If she put as much time into raking as she is into thinking about raking, she'd be done_,' she thought.

* * *

><p>A half hour later Leena was on her way into town. "How is it going, Helena?" she called out to the woman who had obviously not touched a thing.<p>

"It's very perplexing to me," HG answered honestly. "Why would you rake these leaves when only more will take their place within days?"

She had observed how many leaves fell within a given time and did a rough estimate of how many would fall with the next day, two days, and so forth. According to Helena, she was a week too early.

"You will just have to get someone to come next week even if I do manage to clear the area," Helena said authoritatively.

"I wish we had that option, Helena but Jake really was the only one who did this kind of work," Leena called over to her as she got into her car.

"Really? One gardener in all of Univille? How is that even possible? Don't they teach that sort of thing in school to anyone? Surely someone is learning this sort of thing," HG mumbled more to herself.

Leena honked the horn as she passed out front on her way into town. That drew Helena's gaze in the direction of a field off in the distance. And on it were almost a dozen or so young men apparently playing with a ball. Helena put her hand to her forehead to improve her line of site. Yes, indeed – there were several able bodied young men wasting their time tossing a ball and chasing it with a netted stick. She started her walk over to the field. All she had to do was pick out the leader and convince him that she had a more entertaining activity for them. Had Myka been privy to these thoughts, she would have stopped HG in her tracks. She would have at the very least helped Helena to choose her words carefully. But Myka was not there. She was off in the Warehouse Library making sure the list of books was accurate and was nursing the fallen ones and putting them back in place.

In one sense, both women were involved in something that they both exceled at; Myka at dealing with the written word and treating it with reverence and Helena at getting complete strangers to do what she wanted when they had little or no vested interest.

* * *

><p>The sight of a woman in shorts, tank top and boots was a rather unique vision for the lacrosse team of Univille High. So the scrimmage stopped immediately when HG came into view.<p>

"Holy crap," one of them said out loud and now everyone was looking.

"She's gotta be lost," another chimed in.

"Look at that outfit," one said and not one of them didn't have the image of the video game British archeologist come to mind. Helena had been wearing her Croft outfit to compensate of the unusual heat of the day and boots to wade through the leaves. Even before she said hello, they were walking toward the fence to great her. How Helena loved American friendliness.

"Hello, there," was all she said in her accent and most of them surrendered body and soul. They had no way of knowing that Helena only wanted their bodies.

"Are you some sort of a group?" she asked and no one answered yet because they were too busy looking. Now fingers stretched into the openings of the fence as the young men hung on as she approached.

"I'm terribly sorry," she said surveying them and making eye contact with each of them. "I don't mean to disturb you," and finally they spoke in unison and told her it was perfectly fine.

"Are you some sort of a group?" she asked again and finally one of them said; "We're the lacrosse team."

"Ah, yes I recognize it as a Native American game," Helena shared but no one was really listening to the words – just the accent.

"Do you have a leader then?" she asked and the boy closest to her raised his hand. "I'm the captain," he said.

"Bravo, the captain. A man of position and influence I gather," HG said and he shook his head without knowing what she said.

"I have a proposition to make," HG said and it was a good thing there was a fence between her and the group. They bunched up into a smaller group to listen.

"I live over there, " HG started as she pointed to the B&B in the distance, "…and it would seem we have lost our gardener for the immediate future due to some – well, unfortunate circumstances. And I have been put in charge of making sure the landscape is free of debris. Even though it makes absolutely no sense to me to commence this operation now," HG added and then noticed that the boys were staring and not necessarily listening. In fact, few were looking in the vicinity of her mouth.

"Yes, so my proposition is that perhaps some of you would like to assist me …," was all she got out before the chain link fence blossomed with young men crawling up it to get to the other side.

Helena jumped back at their rapid descent and now she sensed just how outnumbered she was. If there was a part of Helena's brain influenced by Myka Bering, it was the tiny voice she thought she heard saying "_Helena, what are you doing_?" She did not want to think about what Myka would say right about now.

"I have to make sure that the front yard is void of any leaves," she said and now they looked at her.

"You want us to rake the yard?" the captain asked.

"Yes," Helena answered.

The boys were closing in around Helena. Her perfume filled their noses and the sight of so much bare skin was enticing. There wasn't a lacrosse player there who thought he had a bad view.

"What do we get?" one of the boys asked from the back and HG immediately sized him up as the trouble maker.

"Well, I could easily pay you or feed you, if that is what you mean," she replied testing her theory and while most of the boys agreed to food, this young man had something else in mind.

"What else you got to offer?" he asked looking HG up and down.

"Come on, Frank – don't be a jerk," the captain said to him.

Helena knew she had to take control or there could be trouble. Rather than back away from him, she walked over to him.

"Those are the only two offers there are. If you should be entertaining the thought of anything else, I should warn you that I am extremely proficient in martial arts and could cause serious damage to any number of limbs…..or appendages….that would render you unable to play for quite some time," HG said in a low but serious voice.

If the boys found this woman physically attractive before, the thought of her using force on the member of the team they all thought was a jerk, made her even more enticing.

"Let it go, Frank. I think she could take you," one of his teammates called out. Frank may have been a jerk but he was not about to push his luck with someone who seemed to be willing to make good on her promises. 'Fine," was all in said as his concession.

"Very well then," HG said smiling as she walked with the group back to the B&B and wondered if she wouldn't leave this part out if she ever told Myka the story.

The boys took off their uniforms and padding and dropped their sticks and proceeded to the garage where Leena kept the yard equipment. There were several rakes and those that couldn't find one, grabbed other equipment. The team captain, Charlie, directed them into groups and told them where to start.

Helena's phone went off – it was text from Myka: "_How are things going there_?" she wondered.

"_Splendidly_," HG answered.

HG watched with a certain amount of pride as the group took shape and commenced the work. There was something very comfortable in all of this for her – she was after all, a member of the upper class and watching the hired help do the work was a very familiar sight to her. She was now, as she had always been, a very thoughtful boss and she took it upon herself to prepare them drinks and sandwiches after they were there a while. She had remembered seeing Pete make sandwiches so she assumed that was the way to prepare them. It took her awhile to make ten sandwiches which were more like hoagies because Pete never ate anything in a small quantity. She depleted the refrigerator of most of the contents which would only be an issue later that day. Helena was, as was typical, living in the moment.

When she descended the front steps with the tray of food, the boys rushed at her to help. She then brought out the iced tea and sat with them as they ate. She was very curious about what education was like for them and fired off questions which they were quite happy to answer in between bites of food. She was especially pleased to hear that several of them had an essay due on the analysis of 'War of the Worlds' and for the next hour, she offered her unbiased insights into the story.

And that is how Myka found her, sitting crossed legged in a circle with her new found crew who hung on the Brit's every word. Though terribly curious about whom the ten young men were -she easily recognized the look of total adoration in their eyes as their mentor spoke, her back to Myka as she approached.

Unfortunately, this was also how Artie found her.

It was hard for Helena to decipher who said her name more sternly; Myka or Artie because they both called her at the same time.

"Helena?"

"Agent Wells?"

* * *

><p>Always appreciate your commentsfeedback esp when I keep going chapter after chapter.


	9. May I Have This Dance?

I appreciate the comments and they motivate me to continue! But if you're getting too many notices - I am sorry. :-)

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 9 May I Have This Dance?<strong>

Helena turned to see Myka standing there with her hands on her hips. She did not see Artie closing in but the boys did and they didn't care for the look on his face.

"Must be her old man," one of them said but it was, Charlie the captain who jumped to his feet first. The others followed and they stood between Artie and Helena like a wall.

HG turned to see where they were going but Myka had her under her arm and was pulling her to her feet none too gently.

"Helena?" Myka said because she wasn't entirely sure where to start.

Did she start with who the boys were? Why there were there? Why their shirts were off? How old were they? Where did she find them? So many questions filled Myka's head but she settled on; "Helena, how did you manage to rake the whole yard?"

Helena turned and surveyed the yard. Indeed, the young men had cleared the entire property and made a pile of the remnants in the front of the yard, several feet long and a couple of feet high. She wanted to say "_Good job, men_," but they weren't exactly there to hear her. They were too busy playing interference with her boss.

* * *

><p>"You her father?" Charlie asked.<p>

"Excuse me?" Artie asked his slight annoyance now escalating to fury. Was HG entertaining these young men instead of doing the job he explicitly gave her?

"Who the hell are you?" Artie asked taking in the number and the state of undress of the men.

"We're the Univille High lacrosse team," one of them answered proudly.

"State Champions," another one chimed in.

"Well, I'm very happy for you but may I ask what in blue blazes you are doing here? " Artie said his voice really strained.

"We're helping out Helena," a young man answered.

"Oh, are you now," Artie said putting the pieces together. "And how exactly did Ms. Wells get you to do this?" he asked worried that HG had used an artifact.

"She asked! I mean, come on look at those ….," the goalie was about to say but Charlie coughed and he stopped. "Oh, no disrespect, Mr. Wells," he said thinking he was talking to her father.

"_Mr. Wells_? Now you listen to me very carefully. I am not her father!" Artie shouted and now even Myka and HG heard him.

"What are you then?" they asked out of curiosity.

"I am her boss and about to become her worst nightmare," Artie shouted and now they opened a passage for him to go through. But HG was not there. In fact, she was nowhere to be seen.

* * *

><p>When Myka grabbed her by the arm, she literally dragged her to the B&amp;B. Myka's had been on a roller coaster ride with Helena's antics this week and it took every ounce of calmness she could muster to see through everything to the truth. But just because Helena had discovered that telling the truth was best, it didn't mean she could do whatever she wanted.<p>

"Helena! I don't even know where to begin!" Myka said after she let go of HG's arm and gently pushed her toward the chair in the hallway. Helena was stunned and she could not help the look of sheer confusion on her face.

"Don't!" Myka said warning her. "Don't look at me innocently like that like you have no idea what is going on here."

"But I don't," HG said because she could not imagine Myka was this angry over the delegation of her job. But it was a starting place.

"Are you angry because I allowed those men to rake the yard?" and HG truly believed this was a simple question but Myka's eyes grew wider. But Myka found her starting place.

"_Men_, Helena? You better pray they are all over eighteen. They are not men, Helena. They are boys – young, impressionable and now love sick boys!" Myka said as she brought her hand to her head as the pain seared across her forehead.

"Oh you have done it this time, Helena," Myka said and then she looked down at her partner and shook her head. Myka paced the floor trying to think. She knew it was only a matter of time before Artie burst through the front door.

"Did you touch any of them?" Myka asked and now HG shot out of the chair.

"Are you insane, Myka? I would never do that. I thought I was in a relationship with you," HG said now the anger growing inside her because she was confused and insulted.

"That didn't stop you yesterday morning, did it?" Myka said slowly and as soon as the words were flung, she saw HG pull back in hurt.

* * *

><p>Outside, Artie had decided that he better calm down and take charge of the situation at hand. He had been in town when his conscience got the better of him and he felt badly that HG was spending so much time raking leaves. <em>She's a qualified agent and I have her doing yard work<em>, he chastised himself. Not that HG shouldn't learn a lesson or help out around the B&B but Artie knew he had enjoyed giving her that task just a little too much. He would drive back and stop at the B&B and relieve her from her task. Maybe they could all help out over the weekend and get the yard work done. He was pleasantly surprised as he drove up that in fact, the leaves were all piled up in the front of the B&B. He was busy giving Helena all kinds of credit for doing the job well, when he caught sight of her sitting on the ground surrounded by half naked high school boys.

"Listen guys, sorry about yelling," Artie said and most of them chalked it up to him being so old. (Ouch).

"You're not like her boyfriend, are you?" one of them asked. Artie just stared at him. Well, it was better than being called her father.

"No, I am her boss. I am the one she is going to explain this all to when I go inside," he said as calmly as he could.

"Oh, good. Cause I am so asking her to the prom," the captain called it first.

"Yes!" the guys shouted in unison and then broke into a chorus of "Helena! Helena! Helena!' which Artie could neither stand nor stop.

"Could you ask Helena to come out before we go," one pleaded with Artie who simply stared at him. Artie considered all the ramifications of this little event. He did not want the local school board visiting the B&B asking why the U.S. Government had been rude to the local lacrosse team.

"Sure, I'll get her," Artie said and the boys broke out into another round of cheers.

"_Oh, Agent Wells_, " came the sing song voice that was so unlike Artie that it scared both HG and Myka. But given the look on Myka's face which was very unsettling to HG, she opted to see what Artie wanted.

Myka reached out and grabbed her arm gently but firmly. "We are so not done talking about this, Helena. And this time I really mean it." HG swallowed hard and opened the front door.

"Your fan club would like to see you before they go," Artie said and stood there as the young men approached them. Artie did not move. He wouldn't miss this for the world. Myka stood in the doorway.

HG put her hands behind her back and walked to the top step. "I want to thank all of you for being such a big help today," she said to them.

"Helena, Charlie has something to ask you. Go ahead, man," his teammate encouraged him.

The young man coughed and walked to the bottom of the steps. Artie looked down at him remembering how nervous he was when he asked a girl to the prom. She was a cheerleader and beautiful and out of Artie's league but that didn't stop him from asking her. He wasn't surprised when she said no but it hurt like hell anyway. All of that came rushing back at him when he saw the boy at the bottom of the steps.

"Helena, would you please do me the honor of attending the prom with me?" he asked and his voice cracked.

Helena looked at him quizzically because she didn't know what a 'prom' was. The silence filled the area as no one spoke until the boys started to murmur in sympathy for what they expected to be a flat out refusal.

But in fact, what they heard was Artie saying; "Yes, of course she'll go with you," and now all eyes were on him but none glaring as fiercely as Myka's. Over the whoops and hollers of the entire team, came Myka's voice asking her boss for the first time in her life, "Are you insane?"

Now Helena didn't know where to go but she was just glad someone seemed to be in more trouble than she was – momentarily. The boys were cheering and saying goodbye to Helena.

"I'll friend you on Facebook tonight," Charlie called and HG had no idea what he was talking about.

"Artie?" Myka asked him when she saw the regret register on his face. He had done that spontaneously and couldn't believe the words were coming from his mouth.

"Myka, what did I do?" he asked genuinely surprised.

"You are taking her shopping for the dress," is all Myka said before going inside and slamming the door on both of them.

It was the first time that Artie and HG were on the same side of any issue that upset Myka and it was an awkward place for both of them.

"Right-e-o then," HG said slowly moving back to the front door. She had no idea what was going on but she wasn't about to ask Artie. She slipped inside and left the door ajar in case he was coming in.

* * *

><p>Artie stood outside going over what had just happened. He looked back and forth at the places where the high school boy stood and where HG was and tried to figure out how he got involved.<p>

"Arthur, you agreed to send an agent to a high school dance?" Mrs. Frederic asked from the end of the porch. Artie should have jumped at her sudden appearance but he was still too stunned.

"Yes, I think I did," he confessed.

"Oh, Arthur. Now what do we do? If you back out, the news will be all over Facebook and the town will distrust our presence here even more. If you send her….., well, I don't know what will happen if you send her, " she said. "I guess it could be like the marines who invited the movie stars to their dances," she said thinking out loud.

"Except HG's an agent not a movie star," Artie pointed out the obvious and drew his boss' glare.

"Oh, Arthur - as if Agent Wells does not do a good enough job getting herself into trouble, you had to help her?" the sage scolded him.

"You know, if she had just done the job as she was supposed to without enlisting the help of the entire lacrosse team, none of this would have happened," he said losing patience.

"Well, I don't see a way out of it, Arthur. You will call the boy's parents and explain that he asked out a US Government Agent and that if they are Ok with it, she's going," Mrs. Frederic said.

She started to walk down the steps and yelled back; "And I am not taking her for the dress, Arthur so get someone on that."

"This is not going to look good in the reports no matter how I dress it up," the woman said to herself as she got in her car.

* * *

><p>Inside, Myka sat at the dining room table with her head in her hands. The headache was worse and she wanted to think through what she was going to say to Helena before she snapped at her again. She had tried to understand that Helena was learning how to adapt to this world and that many things she came across were new and different for her. But as patient as Myka had been these past few days, HG seemed to keep pushing the envelope. She really tried to see that HG was being open and honest with her yesterday when she confessed that she had almost kissed Jake. Why hadn't she just asked him about his family history over the phone? Why would she ask the husband of a gun toting jealous wife to meet her in person? She would not have been so tempted to kiss him if she were talking to him on the phone. Why in person? Did HG want to see him – his lips - one more time? Was Myka being naïve about all of this? Wasn't one of HG's mantras "<em>I always know what I am doing<em>"?

The more Myka tried to answer these questions the more her head hurt. And she hadn't even gotten up to today's incident. She needed tea.

When she picked her head up, there sat HG in the chair in the corner, just waiting. Helena knew Myka was very upset with her but had no idea Myka was revisiting the events from the other days. She thought she was upset with her because she had asked the 'boys' as Myka called them, to do her job. '_How could people take raking so seriously_' she wondered. But before she could say anything, Artie came into the room.

"Well, I'm sorry to have to say this Agent Wells, but I think you are going to have to do to the dance with that young man," he said with regret in his voice. Now Helena got the gist of what '_prom_' was.

"Pardon? Go to a dance, with that young man? No bloody way am I doing that, Artie. Is that what a prom is? No, I refuse!" she protested.

"Yeah, I talked it over with Mrs. Frederic and she agrees there's simply no way to back out. So I'll call his parents ….," Artie said as if it was a done deal because it was - but HG was not done protesting.

"His parents? You're going to call his parents? Am I to be betrothed to the young man? Will you be giving him a dowry on my behalf? This is ridiculous and I refuse. I absolutely refuse," HG shouted but Artie was unfazed. In Artie's world, when you made a blunder, you corrected it or accepted it and moved on. Artie was moving on and was leaving HG in the dust.

"Myka?" HG called out to her to please talk some sense into their boss. Myka looked at both of them. And the Helena lost it.

"Myka tell him I cannot go. I will not go. He got me into this and I am sorry but I refuse to follow through on this. Myka, tell him," HG barked.

She didn't ask, she didn't implore – she ordered. And the tone of her voice pushed hard against Myka. But it also pushed some of the pieces into place for her. Why would Helena take that tone of voice with her? Was Helena standing there waiting for Myka to do as she had been told? Helena had given instructions and now wanted for Myka to carry them out.

"I am not your servant, Helena. I am not Collin, or Michael, or Mary or Anne. I may be related to them somehow. Hell, I might even be related to your stupid gardener, but make no mistake Helena Grace Wells, I am not your servant. You do not order me around. You do not tell me what to do. Now sit down and listen to what your boss tells you," Myka said in so stern a tone that even Artie pulled back.

Helena fell back in the chair, stunned and hurt. It was the second time that Myka heaved pointed words and each one hit dead center as if aimed from a bow.

* * *

><p>And as if there weren't enough commotion in the house, Claudia and Pete came into the room.<p>

"What is Myka so upset about?" Pete asked because they heard the yelling from the porch. "And why is the lacrosse team on our front lawn?"

Artie shook his head. "I'm not sure but Claudia, you're taking Helena for the dress."


	10. Myka's Wants and Needs

Your comments have been great especially since I hit you with two chapters so close.  
>You 'spot on HG' fans will probably not like this chapter :-(<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 10 Myka's Needs and Wants<strong>

Claudia was just getting over the sight of ten boys putting their shirts back on in the front yard and now was greeted with this news. Pete had kidded the guys by asking if they were "FOH's" and one shot back that they were all "FOH's".

"How'd they know I meant '_Friends of Helena_?' he asked Claudia. But as Pete got closer to the house, his vibe got worse.

Helena sat in the chair. She didn't know what to do now. Myka was so angry at her and things had gone from bad to worse so quickly. Pete was used to Claudia and on occasion, Myka running to him for some brotherly advice. What he had never experienced was Helena coming to him for advice. She leapt from her chair when she saw him.

"Pete, I don't know what to do. Myka is so angry with me and I don't know why," Helena all but cried to him.

"OK, HG. OK let's go over this. What happened?" he asked concerned for both of them.

"I was on special assignment as you know and it made no sense to me, Pete. Do you know the leaves on those trees were not all fallen and …," HG started.

"HG, get to the part where the lacrosse team was half naked on the lawn," Pete said giving HG the _speed it up_ hand signal.

"Oh, yes, well I asked those lovely young men to help me rake the leaves," she said.

"_Help_ you, HG or _do_ it?" Claudia asked because she had trouble imagining HG raking but could easily see her overseeing a team of young guys doing it.

"I made them sandwiches," HG said hoping to point out she wasn't just sitting there while they did all the work.

"I'm not even going to ask how you got them to do the raking but I guessing it didn't take much. OK, so what happened when Myka got home?" Pete asked moving on.

"Well, she pulled me in here. And not gently either I should like to point out. She told me they weren't men, they were_ boys_ and that I should hope they were all over eighteen but I have no idea why," HG said truthfully because age meant something else in her day.

"OK, _today_ Helena," Pete said but the expression was lost on her.

"Then she asked me if I touched them! Pete, I would never do that! And I told her but then …," and HG stopped because the hurt of Myka's words was gripping her again. Pete waited but finally waved her on to continue.

"She said that it didn't stop me yesterday," Helena said and tears welled up in her eyes. Pete was not ready for that. He was used to seeing those eyes flash anger or confusion but never tears.

"I told the truth, Pete and now she hates me," HG said and now she buried her head into Pete who stood there with his arms out not quite sure what to do with them. Finally, he patted HG on the back and he felt the wetness on her tears on his shirt.

"OK, Helena, it's OK," Pete said holding onto her. She pulled her head up and said, "And now Artie says I have to go to the prom," and she put her head back down but this time Pete was completely confused.

"What?" Claudia asked because she was certain HG misunderstood.

"Artie is making me go to the prom with the lacrosse captain," she said from Pete's chest and cried again.

Pete looked over at Claudia who gave him the international facial expression for "_I have no f***ing idea, dude_."

"OK, HG. Let's see if we can't get Myka to …," Pete started but HG was not finished.

"And then she said I treated her like my servant!" HG said and Claudia finally handed her a tissue to wipe her nose.

She sat back down in the chair, exhausted by her confession. Her version of things left much to the imagination but even Pete couldn't figure this out.

"Maybe we should go talk to Myka," Pete finally said.

* * *

><p>They walked into the kitchen where Myka sat at the island eating the only thing left in the fridge; Haagen Dazs ice cream right out of the container.<p>

"Hey, Mykes," Pete said trying to be nonchalant until he opened the refrigerator and saw that it was empty.

"Whoa, what happened here? Where's the turkey and ham? Where's the bologna? " he asked changing his number one problem to this.

"Helena fed her new friends," Myka said with the spoon still in her mouth.

"Hey, Mykes, I don't know what happened but she's really upset in there," Pete said and Myka stopped eating.

"She's talking a little more cuckoo than usual," Claudia added.

Myka tried to ignore them but ever since she had yelled at Helena, she was feeling terrible.

"She did this," he said pointing to the wet stain on his shirt.

"She spit on you?" Myka asked horrified.

"No! She was crying," Pete said and Myka was off her seat.

Pete was happy to see Myka willing to patch things up and happier still that she had left so much ice cream. Myka walked into the dining room where Helena still sat in the chair.

* * *

><p>"Helena?" Myka asked and HG sat up straight in the chair but she wouldn't look at Myka until she was sure her eyes were dry.<p>

"Yes?" HG asked unsure of what was coming her way even though Myka's voice was calmer.

Myka had no idea what to do next. The thought of HG crying had propelled her to come into the room but once there, she was unsure of where to start. She wanted to apologize to Helena who sat there looking very remorseful. Then she wanted to wring her neck for ….

'_For what_?' Myka thought. _For getting a bunch of guys to rake the yard? No. For almost kissing the gardener? Well, maybe. For telling her the truth? No. For speaking down to her? Well, a little but she always turned to Myka for help. For having a relationship with her ancestors that she didn't know? No._

What was Myka so angry about?

"Go to your room," she said to Helena and took her by surprise. Of all the things HG imagined Myka was doing to say, one of Charles' anthems was not on the list.

"Pardon?" HG said looking up at Myka.

"Go to your room," Myka repeated firmly but calmly. Helena stood up.

Her parents on occasion had sent her to her room to '_give her time to think her actions over'_ and even once sent her to her room without dinner.

'_That must be it_,' HG thought. '_She's going to punish me by depriving me of food. She's going to starve me to death_,' the dramatic Brit entertained. But she took her thoughts and herself up the stairs and didn't stomp the whole way which is how she used to do it.

Pete came into the dining room. "What did you do with her?" he asked out of concern when he didn't see HG.

"I sent her to her room," Myka confessed not certain even why she had done that. The sight of Helena was making things very fuzzy for Myka and she needed to answer those questions.

"OK, well I guess it's not as bad as no TV for a week but it's effective," Pete said.

"Myka?" Claudia asked because this was not typical behavior for Myka.

"I know, I know Claud, but I can't think when she's right in front of me," Myka explained.

"OK, well while you figure out how to raise the great HG Wells, the rest of us are going out to dinner because she gave everything away. So we're headed into Univille, the French cuisine capital of the world," he said and Claudia looked at him.

"What? They have pretty good fries," he explained. "You want to come or should we bring you something back?" he asked.

"Bring it back. I'm going to stay with Helena," Myka said and off the household went to dine.

* * *

><p>Myka wanted to get her thoughts in order before she talked to Helena so she went up to her own room and did what she always does when she's trying to solve something. She took her hairbrush and brushed her hair, slowly, methodically. One hundred strokes should give her enough time.<p>

Helena sat on her bed – waiting. Myka had promised, no - threatened that they were going to talk about this and so she knew Myka would be through the door any minute. She did not expect her to be standing there with a hairbrush. '_Oh, my God she's going to hit me_,' Helena panicked.

She shot up from the bed and slowly stated to move to the other side. "Now, Myka I know you're upset with me …," she started and Myka looked at her quizzically. What was Helena so afraid of? Myka knew she appeared calmer because she felt calmer.

"Helena?" she called out to her but by now, HG was on the other side of the bed.

"I want you to think about what you think you want to do, Myka because it's wrong. It's very wrong," HG said nervously.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Myka asked out of frustration and raised her hand with the brush in it and saw HG flinch.

"Helena, did you think I was going to hit you? I would never do that. Don't be ridiculous, Helena. Sit down," Myka said and HG only did when Myka tossed the brush aside.

"You are so confusing to me, do you know that?" Myka asked HG. "You make my emotional pendulum swing all the way every day and I'm usually only good with little fluctuations," Myka started and the Brit looked up attentively but obviously confused.

"I love being with you, Helena but you are like no one I have ever been with. You make me feel wonderful one minute, threatened the next, you invade my space and say suggestive things to me and then you tell me how you really wanted to kiss the gardener. You're all over the place, Hel and I have a hard time keeping up," Myka confessed and HG took in what she was saying.

"But I finally figured out what makes me so attracted to you is that - along with that tender, thoughtful 'tea garden building' sweetness, is a self-confident, take charge, live life to the fullest part that I also adore. And, Helena, I want it all. I want all the parts of you," Myka said and Helena sat there making sure she understood Myka's intention. All the things Myka listed certainly sounded like her and it also sounded like Myka wanted all those things.

"So I am not in trouble?" Helena asked slowly.

"No, Helena. You did your part. You told me the truth. I have to learn how to deal with hearing it better," Myka said smiling.

"So you are not angry with me?" HG needed that clarified.

"No, Helena and I hope you can forgive me for what I said to you before. I was very upset and I said some very harsh things to you," Myka said truthfully.

"Of course I forgive you Myka," Helena said immediately because having Myka with her now was the save for any wound.

"I spent a great deal of time trying to figure out why I was so angry," Myka said and Helena wasn't sure that was a road they should go down.

'_All is forgiven, can't we just move on_?' was HG's one thought. '_Why does everyone insist on delving into their feelings so much_?' she wondered about her modern counterparts.

"And I decided it was because I felt jealous, Helena," Myka said somewhat ashamed but HG grabbed her shoulders.

"I shall be more careful about things I do then so I do not cause you to be jealous," HG said emphatically wanted to wrap this up.

All was forgiven so let's move on.

HG was acting like the stereotypical male not wanted to go near the emotional pool that most women were comfortable swimming in. But she knew in every fiber of her being this was not the time to appear impatient. She would sit there and be quiet and listen and try and grasp what Myka was talking about.

"That is sweet, Helena but I have to deal with the issue. It's about me feeling insecure that you would want me and not someone else – like Collin, or Jake or anyone else. But I have decided what needs to be done," Myka said and HG could not have been happier to hear that the solution and the end of this talk were at hand.

"I _need_ you Helena and I do not _want_ to share you. There, I said it," Myka said revealing her need and want.

"I will share parts of you with the world, Helena – your genius, your work, your inventions and all of that. I will share parts of you with the Warehouse because you're a good agent and have much to offer, and now I will share a small part of you with theUniville lacrosse team because you made ten boys fall hopelessly in love with you, but I want you to be mine, Helena – heart and soul - as I will be yours," Myka said.

The writer never heard more beautiful words. Many people had tried to claim Helena before but no one ever filled her with such joy in doing so.

Myka leaned in and kissed Helena slowly- and the passion that had been held at bay for weeks erupted inside her. Gone was the fear that she was not really what HG wanted. Because in the return kiss, was all the proof for Myka that Helena wanted her more than anything.

They collapsed in each other's arms on the bed. "I do love you, Myka Bering. I always have," Helena said softly. The two women remained there until calmness and darkness filled the room.

"Myka, I do not wish to go to the prom," Helena said regaining her emotional center back.

"I know, Helena. We'll have to figure out a way to get you out of that," Myka said kissing the date's head. '_Or we'll have to go shopping_,' she thought to herself.

"He's going to friend my face, Myka," HG shared and Myka broke out in small, soft laughs.

"You mean Friend-you-on-Facebook?" Myka asked laughing.

"Isn't that what I said?" the Brit inquired.

"Yes, you did Helena," Myka said squeezing Helena even closer. This was a part of Helena that melted Myka's heart. "Yes, you did."

* * *

><p>Across town, Charlie checked his Facebook page. He changed his status to "<em>In a relationship<em>" and typed in the box indicating with: _Helena Wells_.

* * *

><p>My apologies to those who do not like it when the characters are OOC. I know this pushed it a bit here.<br>You can tell me if that's the case. I can take it! OK, wait - let me think about that first. :-)


	11. Teach Me How to Dougie

**Chapter 11 Teach Me How to Dougie**

There were not a lot of choices for dining out in Univille and so the foursome found themselves at the local diner known for its home cooked meals and burgers. For a small town, it was a large place with several booths throughout. The waitresses were locals who worked there forever and took their jobs seriously. Their philosophy was that you were there to eat so chit chat was friendly but at a minimum. If one of them did stop to talk at length, it was because there was town gossip worthy of their time.

Artie looked down the menu and only then regretted Leena joining them. She was a watchdog when it came to his diet and he just wanted a burger.

"You can't expect me to sit here eating a salad while these two are wolfing down burgers and fries," he pleaded with her.

She thought about how empty the refrigerator was at home and conceded. Maybe it would hold off him whining later when he was hungry again.

"So, Artie, tell us how you got HG into going to a prom," Claudia asked because she still did not have the story.

"I don't know. The kid was standing there asking her and I felt so bad for him that I jumped the gun and said she would. Now Mrs. Frederic knows and I have to call the boy's parents to make sure they know he asked a federal agent to the prom. A _much older than he is_ federal agent," Artie said still embarrassed by the whole thing.

"Well, there's the lucky man right now. You can ask for his number," Pete said.

There in the back of the restaurant sat the lacrosse team at a long table, chowing down one of several meals they would consume in a day.

"I hope they enjoyed my hoagies," Pete smiling through his teeth as the captain approached the table.

"Hey Mr. Wells," he said to Artie and Pete choked on the water and spilled it.

"Mr. Wells?" Pete asked laughing. "Now there's a scary thought."

"Look son, I explained this to you. I'm not her father," Artie started and Claudia chimed in, "You coulda fooled me."

"Enough," he said looking at his fellow dinner guests. "I'm Agent Nielsen and I am Helena's boss."

"Agent?" Charlie asked.

"Yeah, you see kid you asked a US Federal agent to your prom," Pete explained.

"Cool!" said the lacrosse captain. "Hey guys, Helena's a Fed!," he yelled and Artie grabbed his arm.

"Let's not advertise that, ok? Yeah, so I'm going to need to talk to your parents to make sure they know that," Artie said in a low voice.

"Really? I'm eighteen you know," Charlie said proudly and now his friends were coming over to him.

"Yes, well it's protocol so if you think your parents will object, that's OK she doesn't have to…," Artie tried.

"Are you kidding? I already told my mother. Well, not about the agent part but I'm sure they'll be fine with that. So yeah, here's their number," Charlie said too eagerly for Artie and grabbed a napkin and wrote down the number.

"Does she carry a gun?" one of the others asked and Artie put his head into his hands. What had he done?

"Yes," Artie answered quickly taking the number and then added, "No, no – not when she's off duty."

"Awesome!" one of them said.

Claudia just looked at her boss across the table. He was stammering and flustered. Kind of like Monday morning meetings before coffee but this was with total strangers.

"Dude, this prom thing is in the spring, right? I mean we have plenty of time to get the dress?" Claudia asked and now the group of men turned their attention to the youngest member at the table.

"No, not at Univille High. I mean, yeah usually it's in the spring but the lacrosse team always makes states and then regionals, so we're pretty busy in the spring. So our prom is next week," Charlie explained.

"Oh, great Artie. How am I supposed to get her a dress in a week?" Claudia chastised her boss.

"Is this your other daughter?" one of the slower team members asked.

"What? No, I am their boss. B-O-S-S! Ok, ok look – let's take this one step at a time, OK?" Artie said.

"Easy for you to say. You don't have to take her shopping, " Claudia snapped.

"Hey, could you tell Helena I couldn't find her Facebook page so to just find mine? It's under _LaxBro 2013_. OK, see you," the affable young man said as the team left the diner.

"Maybe you want to double with Helena and her date, Claud?" Pete asked and Claudia refused.

"Absolutely not! I am not dating a high schooler. Come on, really? At my age? That's like robbing the cradle," Claudia asked but the food arrived and that was the end of complete sentences by the four patrons as they dove into their food.

They should not have been surprised to see Mrs. Frederic turn around from the booth behind Artie because there she was – suddenly.

"Is that the young man, Arthur?" she asked.

Artie jumped in his seat already on edge from the whole incident. "Yes, that's the boy," Artie said.

"Remember, Arthur. We must be careful about this," she said as she spoke from behind him and then turned to face them all. "None of you have actually endeared yourself to the town's people – yet," she said smiling but it faded quickly. She got out of the booth and left. In her place was an empty dish and coffee cup. How was it that none of them saw her sitting right there?

* * *

><p>Back home, Helena and Myka sat in the living room waiting patiently for their friends and dinner to arrive. Helena felt much calmer but that's because Myka was calmer. Myka's words still played in Helena's head and soothed her. The confusion from before had ceased and Myka seemed happy and that's all that mattered to Helena. When the others arrived home with their meals, they all sat around the dining room table. Pete sat next to Myka because there was nothing exciting about the turkey sandwich that they got HG. Myka at least had fries.<p>

"Please don't let him order for me ever again," Myka asked when she looked down at the cheese soaked French fries.

"Well, if you don't want 'em, Mykes," Pete said happy to see his well thought out plan was working. She gladly pushed them over in front of him.

"Hey, I'm starving," he said and meant it. "HG, speaking of 'fried' – we saw your prom date at the diner," Pete said and Myka frowned at him.

"What? It is her date, right?" he defended his remark.

"No, Mr. Lattimer. You are incorrect. I am not going," HG said simply because Myka would get her out of it. Now Myka cringed thinking HG's timing was a little premature.

"Not unless his parents have an issue with it, HG," Artie said.

"Pardon?" Helena asked because she did not understand what the boy's parents had to do with it.

"I spoke to Mrs. Frederic and she feels that it would be in the best interest given our presence in Univille if we didn't rock the boat any more than we have," Artie explained hoping no one would point out this was his doing.

"This is your doing, Artie. It is not in _my_ best interest," HG pointed out getting upset. Myka put her hand on her leg. Surely there was a way out of this.

"Look, HG. I know you don't want to go but let's look at it as a good will endeavor," Artie tried.

"Dude, maybe his parents won't want him going out with someone almost twice his age. Well, technically like 5 times his age. No offense," Claudia tried.

"Oh none take, indeed," HG said offended but hoping it might be the thing to get her out of it.

"Artie, she's right you know. I am considerably older than the boy and the parents might find that uncomfortable," HG said.

"Yes, well I'll be sure to point that out, HG," Artie said fishing for the napkin with their number on it.

"Maybe you could tell them that they'll need handicap parking. Oooh, wait. She drinks! Tell them she drinks! No one wants their kid out with a drinker," Pete tried and everyone looked at him with silent reprimanding stares.

"What? She doesn't want to go," he said pointing out he was the only one coming up with solutions.

"Artie, maybe you could just send her on assignment. You know when May or June rolls around, send HG to Washington or something," Myka said smiling because they really had plenty of time to come up with possible solutions.

"It's next week," Claudia informed them and both Myka and HG yelled "What?"

"Seems your boyfriend's team is pretty good and each year they go all the way to States so they do the prom in the fall," Pete said finishing off the fries.

"This is one weird town," Claudia said.

"OK, stop!" Artie finally said. "Let me call the parents and explain that their son asked a federal agent …," but he was interrupted by HG who added, "…..a much older federal agent."

* * *

><p>Artie got up from the table to use the phone in the office. He didn't need all of them in the background offering their suggestions or advice while he talked. He picked up the phone and dialed the number the young man had written on the napkin along with their names. Finally, someone picked up the phone.<p>

"Hello is this Mr. Connolly?" he asked and the man affirmed that he was.

"Mr. Connolly, my name is Arthur Nielsen. I am a Federal Agent residing in Univille along with my fellow agents," Artie said taking the long way instead of the short way into the conversation.

"I work with Helena …," was all he needed to say and the man on the other end realized it wasn't a solicitation.

"Oh, you're a friend of Helena's? You shoulda said so, Mr. Nielsen," the father said.

"Well, not a friend actually, Mr. Connolly. I'm her boss," Artie said for the umpteenth time that day.

"Oh, wow. Her boss. You government guys oversee everything, don'tcha?" he laughed.

"Yes, well the thing of it is, Mr. Connolly your son, Charlie asked Agent Wells to go to the prom..," Artie started.

"Oh, yeah he's all excited about it. Not sure how that all happened but Charlie said they were helping her out today," Mr. Connolly said.

"They were, they were. Anyway, I just wanted to talk to you about this because Agent Wells is a federal agent and therefore, certain protocol will dictate how this happens," Artie said sounding very official.

"Oh, sure. That's not a problem. We understand. Charlie and the guys can't stop talking about her. She made quite an impression on the boys," the man shared and Artie murmured, "Oh I bet she did," under his breath.

"So if you need her home by a certain time or anything like that, we'll just tell Charlie. He's a very responsible boy," the father said and Artie figured he better give it one more shot.

"Agent Wells is practically twice your son's age, Mr. Connolly," he threw out.

"Boy, you are one protective father but I understand. It's your job," the father said sympathetically but Artie was biting his fist in his mouth not to scream.

"Mr. Connolly, I am not Helena's father," he said laughing so he wouldn't let his temper form his words. "I am her boss. I am her boss, Mr. Connolly," he said exasperated.

"Oh, OK, see Charlie said you were the dad," his explained.

"No, just her boss," Artie reiterated.

"OK, well if you and your wife would like to come here to take pictures before the prom, my wife and I would love to have you," Mr. Connolly said and Artie just fell into the chair.

"No, thanks Mr. Connolly," Artie said.

"OK, then if you change your mind you let us know. Our Charlie has quite a crush on your Helena. We'll see you next week, Agent Nielsen," the man said like he and Artie were about to become good friend.

* * *

><p>Well that didn't go the way Artie hoped. He better talk to Mrs. Frederic and let her know he gave it his best shot. He dreaded the barrage of questions from his fellow agents so he got his coat on and walked back into the dining room.<p>

"Sorry, HG – I gave it a shot but they're not concerned that you are an agent or older than their son. Claudia, you better get her a dress," Artie said as he was walking out to HG's protest of "But I do not want a dress."

"And make her a Facebook page …," he called out to Claudia as he left.

"Already on it, boss," she said as she moved her fingers across the laptop.

"Nor do I want a face page," HG said to Myka with pleading in her eyes.

"Oh my God, HG. Charlie has 374 'Likes' to his status update that he's taking you. That's what, like the whole school?" Claudia said.

"Well, he is the captain," Pete pointed out. "Captains of sports teams are quite the chick magnets you know," he added as his chest puffed out recalling his days as captain of the wrestling team.

"Yeah, except he's captain of a _real _sport," Claudia said before she slammed the laptop down and ran out of the room, her offended friend not far behind yelling, "You take that back!".

* * *

><p>Helena and Myka remained at the table with Leena.<p>

"I shan't go, Myka. I will be sick or run away if I have to but I am not going," HG said.

"OK, I don't think you have to run away, Helena. We'll figure something out," Myka said but Leena could tell from her aura, she was out of ideas. As calm as she was trying to keep her voice, Leena could see how unsettled her energy was.

"Maybe I will just take a personal day," HG said and Leena reminded her that Artie said she could not take another one for a long time. "Even on the weekend?" but no one knew the answer to that.

"What about if you can't find a dress? You can't go to the dance without a dress," Myka said drawing from the bottom of the excuse barrel but even Leena shook her head indicating that was weak at best.

"I will simply refuse to go. I will tell Artie and even Mrs. Frederic if I have to that I did not get myself into this and there is no bloody way I am going to go through with it," HG said very confidently until she caught the expression on Leena's face. She was looking past HG, wide eyed. Myka caught the look too and knew what it meant.

"Leena, Agent Bering – would you give me a moment alone with Agent Wells so that we can discuss this matter?" came the voice of Mrs. Frederic. Myka spun around to see her standing there and reached out to touch HG's arm as she got up to leave.

"This won't take long," the sage said to Myka as she left. Helena started to open her mouth to explain why she couldn't, wouldn't and shouldn't go but her boss put her finger up to wait.

"Allow me to save you the trouble of listing all the reasons, Agent Wells. Maintaining our existence here is of the utmost importance you no doubt realize. Univille is a small town and our presence here is sometimes questioned. Our relationship with those people that would query about us should be friendly yet distant. This is why we don't attend the annual town festival, Agent Wells," Mrs. Frederic pointed out almost sarcastically.

"But …," HG tried and again the signal came to stop talking.

"Now by you inviting those boys to help you with your assigned task, you closed the gap a little on the distance that we like to maintain with the fine citizens of this town. Now I will grant you that Agent Nielsen made it worse - but had the boys not been in here in the first place, Helena…," her boss pointed out.

"So I have thought it over and the only solution seems to be that you will go," Mrs. Frederic said.

"But I … don't … I can't" HG tried but drew the dead stare of her superior.

"Helena, think of it as an assignment to learn more about the local culture. It might be beneficial for you to acquaint yourself with young people of the 21st Century. They might be able to teach even the great HG Wells a thing or two," Mrs. Frederic said smiling at her own joke. HG did not return the smile.

"Are you suggesting that I am being ordered to go?" HG asked.

"Don't be silly, Agent Wells. I am not _suggesting _anything. Suggesting would imply that you have a choice and you do not," was the response if rapid succession.

Helena looked down at her feet. She didn't like the response at all but knew better than to challenge her boss. When she looked back up, Mrs. Frederic was gone. She hadn't vanished; she simply left the room because her business was concluded. Out in the hallway, she glanced at the group of agents.

"Someone is going to have to teach Agent Wells how to dance," she said as she walked out the door.

* * *

><p>So you know I read every commentfeedback because sometimes I dig myself in deeper in the story line  
>and can't tell if I'm off track. Thanks in advance for those who take the time.<p> 


	12. Prepping for the Prom

**Chapter 12 Prepping for the Prom**

Pete and Myka looked at Claudia. "Forget it, dudes. If I have to take her dress shopping, I am not teaching her how to dance," the youngest resident said.

"I'll take her shopping," Myka offered and HG's face lit up. She had no intention of going shopping but if Myka was going with her, then she would. Myka turned to see the wickedest smile come across Helena's face.

"OK, OK I'll teach her my moves," Pete said as if he were finally relenting to their insisting pleas.

"What?" Myka asked. "Your moves?" she said this time laughing out loud. Pete was moving his body in circular motions, his hips swaying back and forth. "You're just jealous, Mykes," he said back. The only one not amused in the room was Helena.

"I do not care for whatever that is," she said horrified.

"Well, surely you danced back in the day," Pete said.

"Yes, Mr. Lattimer but we only _did that_ if we were in great pain," HG said and meant it. To the time traveler, Pete's erratic motions would have indicated severe illness.

"Well, I don't think they're gonna be doing too many waltzes there, HG so you better get your grove on," Pete said back.

"I will not be needing my grove, I can guarantee you that," HG said getting worried over what would be required of her.

"Hey, HG lover boy says he's ordered a black tuxedo so let him know what color dress you get in case he needs to change his tie," Claudia said looking at HG's Facebook page.

"What does that even mean?" HG said looking helplessly at Myka.

"Oh, Hel it's just the guys wear tuxedos and sometimes the vest and tie match the girl's dress. So if you wore red, he would wear a red tie," Myka put it simply but it was of no comfort to HG. This was a whole new world to Helena and she simply wanted no part of it.

"OK we better make this as _simple_ as possible," Myka said out loud and now the Brit looked insulted at the suggestion. "No, Helena not simple just less complicated," Myka said reading her expression accurately.

"Yes, well less complicated is good," HG said not feeling comfortable with any of this.

"Ah, Myka – I don't think HG's gonna want to learn any new dances," Claudia said without her lips moving.

"You _do_ know I can hear you," the Brit asked because it was obvious to her that Claudia was trying to talk to Myka only.

"OK well here's the thing. I am not teaching her the _bump and grind_," Claudia flat out refused.

"The what?" HG asked and was pretty sure she could imagine what it was from the two words. "I am not dancing with the young man and so help me if anyone makes me, I will shoot them!"

"You might want to make sure she doesn't bring the tesla, Mykes," Pete suggested.

This was going to be a little more problematical than Myka wanted it to be. Pete and Claudia left the room.

"Myka, this is going to be unbearable. I doubt than anyone already acclimated to this time would want to venture into the world of a high school prom!" HG said and Myka had to agree with her. She certainly would not have wanted to go to one.

Just then the doorbell rang and a minute later Claudia appeared in the living room.

"Hey, HG your fan club is outside," she said.

"Pardon?" HG responded.

"LaxBro 2013 and the team are outside asking for you," Claudia tried again but the terminology was lost on HG.

"Your date and the rest of your admirers are outside," Claudia tried it and finally it registered.

"Oh, bloody hell what do they want?" HG said exasperated.

"Helena, be nice to them," Myka said knowing well what HG could do to them.

"I think I shall have to tell the poor boy that I cannot go," the Brit tried and then remembered her conversation with Mrs. Frederic about not having a choice.

"Come with me," Helena said and grabbed Myka's arm pulling her out to the door with her.

* * *

><p>Helena stepped out onto the pouch where Charlie stood on the middle step and behind him was his crew.<p>

"Good evening, Charles. Boys," she said to the group and they all smiled when they heard her accent. Myka smiled when she looked at the group of them, eyes all cast upward to Helena. She identified with that look.

"Helena, we were just driving around and thought we would stop by to see you," Charlie said.

"Well, you are a very close knit group it would seem," Helena said. "Everyone, this is my partner, Agent Bering," she said introducing Myka.

"You carry a gun, too?" one of them asked.

"Not at the moment," Myka said back.

"Hey, Helena remember when you said you could help us with our essays on HG Wells? I picked _What if HG Wells was a woman_," the lacrosse player in the back shouted out.

"Yeah right, like a chick's gonna think up that stuff back then. I picked "_Wells versus Verne. Who's the real father of science fiction?_" another said and didn't realize it but drew a deadly stare from the inventor.

"Yeah, well Verne has nothing on Wells," Charlie said and endeared himself to HG.

Myka just smiled at the irony of the scene before her. Then she watched Helena sit on the top step while the boys gathered at her feet and listened to her talk about the famous HG Wells and his writings. They hung on every word and if only more of them remembered what she said, they might have all gotten A's. But they complained that their teacher was ridiculously critical of their works and Helena did not like to hear their discouragement. "You should keep writing," she told them but very few saw the benefit when the teacher was such a tough grader. "What is the teacher's name?" HG asked and was told that his name was Mr. Edwards. Myka brought out a jacket and put it around Helena's shoulders as she sat there for the next half hour talking about writing and HG Wells.

"What were you like an English major or something?" one of the team members asked.

"I was more of a science major," HG said and only Myka got the joke and bit her lip at the Brit's humor.

When it was time to go, the boys all shouted their goodbyes to HG and Myka, except Charlie who waiting until the others were out of earshot.

"It was really good to see you again Helena," he said and Helena smiled at him.

"Come on, Connolly. Time to leave your girlfriend," one of them called out to him and he got red in the face.

But that was nothing compared to Myka choking on a bite size piece of Twizzlers. "What is your last name?" she called down to him.

"Connolly," Charlie answered back.

"Are you related to Jake Connolly?" Myka asked while HG didn't quite get the big picture.

"Yeah, he's my uncle," the young boy yelled back.

"Helena!" Myka said as she grabbed the Brit back into the house.

"What dear?" HG asked seemingly unaware of the connection.

"Did you hear what that kid said? He's Jake Connolly's nephew!" Myka said already concerned about the implications.

'Is that so? Hmmm, he does not have the Connolly lips," HG said thoughtfully and looking away.

"And how would you know that?" Myka asked concern rushing back at her.

"Believe me, darling," HG said moving into Myka's space, "I am very familiar with _those_ lips," she added as she ran her finger lightly over Myka's lower lip causing all logical thought to cease.

"What?" Myka said forgetting her next thought and for that matter, most of her native tongue. Her confusion was Helena's cue. She slipped in closer, leaning into Myka and put her hand up to her lips again.

"I am intimately acquainted with them," she whispered slowly reaching up and kissing Myka so gently that Myka shivered.

'Hel, ….." Myka wanted to say _don't you think you should not be with the nephew of a guy you flirted with and had his wife shoot a gun and then jump you_ but that was far too many words for Myka's beautiful brain to put together as she overdosed on Helena's intoxicating presence.

Most of the Myka's night would be lost in that bliss.

* * *

><p>At the Warehouse, Artie was cleaning up so odds and ends but couldn't help thinking about what he had done. A part of him felt badly for getting Helena into this thing with the boy. In spite of his left brain assuring him it wouldn't have happened if she didn't have the boys there in the first place, his sensitive atom nagged at him to acknowledge that it was his identification with the young man who asked her that got at him. Artie decided that was enough soul searching and was about to turn in when Mrs. Frederic greeted him. Artie grabbed his heart. "Please don't do that!" he begged.<p>

"Arthur, I've been thinking about this mess you got Agent Wells into," she said ignoring his plea and making the guilt surge again. "I think Agent Bering should go with her."

"HG already has a date. Oh, wait you don't want me to find another lacrosse player to go with Myka, do you?" he asked concerned.

"Don't be ridiculous. No, I want Agent Bering to go as security," his boss answered. "I am not comfortable having Agent Wells alone in the world just yet," she explained. Artie mumbled, '_or ever_' but she gave him a castigating look.

"Do you remember your prom, Arthur?" the sage asked in a rare moment of personal interest.

"All too well," he said and that was the end of the discussion.

* * *

><p>The next morning, Myka woke to a midmorning sun peeking through her window. She stretched her limbs releasing the last of a peaceful night's sleep. She lay there in the quiet of the house until she heard HG shouting. She jumped up, grabbed her robe and dashed down the stairs to the living room where the sound came from. HG swung open the door as soon as she approached it.<p>

"Myka!" HG said excited because she appeared at the exact minute she needed her.

"Darling, he wants me to_ Hustle_ and I am not sure what it is, but it sounds offensive. Tell him, Myka please," HG pleaded. Myka looked inside to see Pete and Claudia dancing away to the hits of the 70's.

"We'll never get to the moon walk with this attitude," Pete said as he grabbed HG back into the room.

"What is going on?" Myka asked above the blaring music.

"We're teaching HG everything she needs. I am covering the early decades and Claudia will take her through …what is it…. break dancing?" Pete said.

"I do not wish to break anything dancing, Mr. Lattimer," HG tried to protest but he had her by the arm anyway.

"You know what your whole problem is, HG?" he said feeling a lot braver than he should and both Myka and Claudia looked at him questioning his sanity.

"Oh no do tell, Mr. Lattimer," HG said putting her hands on her hips.

"Here it comes," Claudia said ominously.

"You don't know how to follow. You're always trying to lead," he explained.

"Yes, I dare say I have never ever been good at following. So if that is your main objective here, then allow me to save you a great deal of trouble by informing you that your efforts are at best, fruitless," HG said back.

"See? You use a paragraph to say a sentence, too," Pete added as long as he was at it. Now HG had her arms across her chest and that was never a good stance for dancing unless you're Russian.

"She's all yours, Myka," Pete said giving up. And not a second past after he uttered those words before Helena turned to Myka all smiles with the most brazen look in her eyes.

'_How can she turn that on so quickly and before coffee_?' Myka thought as she made her way into the kitchen. She was going to need caffeine to get through this morning.

"OK, so here's what I'm thinking about the dress," Claudia said ignoring Myka's attempt to wake up.

"We go to the Salvation Army," Claudia said and Myka stared her at wide eyed. She took two big gulps of the coffee she had just poured.

"Yeah, the Salvation Army. They have great dresses and I'm thinking black with a nice set of boots," Claudia added and Myka bit her lower lip and tried to smile without giving away her true thoughts about this idea.

"Let me talk to Helena, Claud. I was thinking of just going to that little dress store in town," Myka said diplomatically.

"Sure," Claudia said happy to get out of having to take HG shopping for an article of clothing that she herself didn't own. And that is what they did.

* * *

><p>Helena had little interest in buying a dress but she welcomed the chance to do something alone with Myka. The walked into the dress store which did not have a huge sign in the window advertising prom dresses. This was where the women of Univille went to purchase that special dress for a special occasion. Myka did not share that with HG since she already knew her friend did not think there was anything special about this event. It was also where Myka could help HG get everything she needed – one stop shopping – the ideal place when the person you're shopping with had the patience of a three year old. Myka also kept that thought to herself.<p>

The young saleswoman approached Myka and she explained that her friend needed a cocktail dress. She had to size Helena up from a distance because Helena was too busy looking at the display of modern undergarments. She was amazed. The woman correctly guessed her size and brought a few dresses to Myka to look at. She picked ten and the woman put them in a dressing room. When HG finally did make her way over, Myka told her she should go in and try the dresses on.

"Who will help me?" HG inquired. The saleswoman looked at her. Of course this was a reasonable question from a woman who had a household with servants. Myka smiled at the woman and turned her head to whisper to HG. "It's just like getting dressed at home, sweetheart. You can do it," Myka said in as low a voice as possible.

"Well, of course I know I can do it, Myka," HG said in what Myka affectionately called her '_British Whisper'_ because it was in fact, the opposite. Myka smiled again as the woman opened the door for HG and she went in … alone.

"Your time has lost a great many indulgences that I do not care for," HG yelled out from behind the door as she undressed herself. The young girl looked at Myka. "She's British," was all she could think of saying and the girl responded, "Oooh," as if that in fact explained the odd behavior. The door of the tiny room flew open as HG announced to Myka, "I heard that!"

Six dresses later, Helena had lost all interest in the endeavor. Myka would make her come out of the room, turn all around, and stand there – quietly – while she looked her up and down and tried to decide if this was a good fit or good look on HG. Subconsciously, Myka was enjoying seeing her friend in so many different styles that she was simply taking her time. Fortunately for HG, Myka's eidetic memory came in handy and she didn't have to try any dress on more than once.

"I do not wish to do this anymore," HG announced when she came out in the ninth dress. Myka ignored her as she really liked this look on HG but the color was all wrong. When asked if they had it in any other colors, the assistant said she would look. This gave Helena a chance to be with Myka alone.

"I do not wish to do this anymore," HG said again.

"I know, Helena. We're almost done," Myka said soothingly.

"You should come in with me and help me, " HG said and Myka looked in the room.

"Hel, I really don't think there's enough room in there," Myka said.

"That's exactly my point," HG said staring up at Myka and smiling. The saleswoman came back apologizing that they did not have it in any other color and couldn't help notice the red that had flourished on Myka.

"Are you warm? I can turn up the AC. We're having quite a hot spell," she offered.

"Yes, indeed we are," HG said so slowly that there was no mistaking her intent.

"Try the last … one .. Hel…the black one…," Myka said clearing her throat and Helena smiled even more now. God, how she enjoyed teasing Myka.

When Helena emerged from the dressing room, Myka knew this was the dress. It was a black sleeveless dress with a peplum bottom and the same flair on the bolero jacket. It was simple yet elegant and Helena looked ravishing in it. When Myka said this was the one to get, HG agreed. The saleswoman said she would take it in a little and offered to do the alterations right then. She suggested HG pick out the undergarments and put them on with the dress before she took the measurements. Myka picked out a pair of sling back heels and had HG put them on. Then the saleswoman took HG in the back of the store and made the necessary markings on the dress and jacket to take them both in a little. Myka expected to see HG come out of the room with a look of relief on her face so when she saw her wide eyed, she was concerned.

They paid the bill and the saleswoman told HG she could come back for the dress on Tuesday. Myka thought it was odd that the woman told HG that she had a lot of dresses to work on with the prom coming up but that she would make Helena's dress a priority. Myka also didn't like the more than friendly tone in her voice when she said it. Helena seemed to recoil and took the receipt quickly along with her other items. She took Myka by the elbow and practically pushed her out the door.

"Helena, are you OK?" Myka asked when they were back in the car.

"Myka, I did nothing. I want you to know that," HG said nervously. Myka couldn't imagine what she was talking about. She reached out and touched Helena's leg. "Hel, what happened?" she asked.

"That woman who did the alterations – I think she's related to you!" HG said looking back at the store through the passenger window.

"What? Why would you say that?" Myka asked quizzically.

"Myka, she …. Touched me," HG said slowly.

"Of course she touched you, she was doing … what does that mean she _touched_ you?" Myka said as concern built up.

"She was marking the dress to do the alterations and she ran her hands all over …. Myka, I know that touch. I remember that touch," HG said and Myka could tell she was very serious.

"Wait, you think this woman is a descendant of the seamstress from Waddesdon Manor? You think she's a Connolly?" Myka asked.

"Yes!" HG said.

"Oh my God, did all of my relatives move to South Dakota? This is ridiculous," and with that Myka got out of the SUV. Helena called after her but Myka was back in the store before HG could get out of the car. A few minutes later, she emerged smiling and came back to the car.

"Well?" Helena said.

"She's not a Connolly, Helena. She might be depraved but thankfully no, she's not a Connolly," Myka said driving away.

"I am not picking that dress up alone," HG said.

"Not to worry, Helena. I'll be there," Myka assured her.


	13. Meet the Parents

**Chapter 13 Meet the Parents**

If Artie thought time would heal all guilt, he wasn't about to have HG's cooperation. She didn't realize it and was giving Artie no thought as usual, but by doing her job that week without complaining or hijinks, he had little to be annoyed about. Not being annoyed at HG was a new sensation for Artie and he didn't like it. That lack of negative feeling allowed more room for the guilt to hang around.

Everything was all set for Saturday night. Myka had indeed returned to the dress shop with HG to pick up the dress. The woman had been forewarned that if she did anything inappropriate, Myka would be forced to handle things in a way she would find unpleasant. She didn't ask the woman if she touched Helena. When she stepped back into the store to see if there was any foundation for Helena's assertion, she had anticipated dealing with the issue in a discrete manner. But when she called the woman over to talk to her, the smile on her face when she mentioned HG's name was confirmation enough. She forgot all about discrete and practically threatened the woman. It wasn't Myka's first full surge of jealousy and it wouldn't be her last.

Claudia did a great job of keeping HG's Facebook page up to date. She started out slow but by Friday was vicariously living through the Brit. She had to be careful not to use her own lingo when updating status. There was no way in hell Helena would have said her dress was _bitchin'_. Claudia liked the ensemble but still thought calf high boots were the way to go. She asked HG's date online and scoffed when he wrote back –'_whatever you wear will be perfect_.' "Oh he's got it so bad," Claudia said. She didn't realize it but while she thought she was doing HG a favor by handling her FB account, she was simply encouraging Charlie with all the chatter.

Artie had announced at one of the morning meetings that week that Mrs. Frederic wanted Myka to go to the dance as well. Myka refused at first – indicating that she too did not wish to live through the prom experience. But Artie told her, like HG, she had no choice and was going as 'security'.

"Helena does not need security," Myka protested.

"You're not her security. You're the _town's_ security," Artie pointed out.

As much as Myka wanted to be with HG, this was an awkward arrangement at best. Helena was just thrilled that Myka would be there. In fact, the only one not bothered or thinking about the prom was Helena. And that was because she had made her plan. It took all of ten minutes while she was in the shower one morning. She would drive to the school with Myka, meet up with Charlie, dance one dance and leave. She didn't quite get what all the fuss was about this dance but it was obvious to her that some of the people in the house had very mixed feelings about it. Pete loved his and talked about how it was a night to remember. Claudia didn't go to hers and didn't do a very good job of convincing HG that it didn't matter, she really didn't want to go. And even Myka, whom should have been her greatest resource about the event, was vague at best. "It was nice," was all she said. All of this left Helena wondering why they even had the dance.

"It's kind of a rite of passage, " Leena finally said giving HG the best insight into it. "You look forward to it from the moment you are a freshman. Then you spend senior year dreading if you'll have a date," she said.

"What does that mean?" HG asked.

"Well, you want to go with a certain boy but you're not sure he'll ask you and you worry he'll ask someone else and so you wait and wait all year hoping he'll ask and then if he doesn't, it's so late that you go with anyone who asks because you don't want to go alone. Although now a days, the kids go in groups without dates so we've become a lot more civilized about it," Leena added.

That we would measure our civility on repudiating inane practices that caused people angst was something that truly bothered the Time Traveler. Why do something that upsets people simply out of protocol. It baffled HG. How was it that this one event could be the source of so much excitement and thrill for some and great despair for others? Perhaps this is what she would learn by going.

On the other side of Univille and it might as well have been the universe, Charlie Connolly sat in his room on Facebook. His room was littered with Lacrosse trophies and MVP awards. He should have been working on his college applications since the deadline was fast approaching but something had side tracked his attention. And she was talking to him on Facebook. Claudia was busy typing responses as best she could imagine HG would.

"What kind of cars do you like?" the young man asked.

"I do miss the horse and buggy days," she typed back because she had heard HG say it more than once. Charlie thought that was hysterical and typed 'ROFLA'. Claudia was enjoying being the electronic voice of the Brit – maybe too much.

* * *

><p>"I should feel a lot better that you will be there, Myka," Helena confirmed one night.<p>

"Me too, Hel. I just don't want to be too conspicuous," Myka said.

"Artie says you'll blend in with the other chaperones," HG added.

"Great, me and all the old teachers," Myka laughed.

Unlike Myka's own prom, where she shopped for a dress for weeks until just the right one was found, she picked something from her closet. And she based it on pure logistics. Helena was going with Jake Connolly's nephew. She didn't know if that would mean anything but she wasn't going without a Tesla. The Tesla fit in only one of her dressier pocketbooks and that pocketbook only went with one of her dresses; a blue and green design on a black background. ' _Why couldn't fashion always be this simple?' Myka wondered._

* * *

><p>By the time Saturday came, everyone was thinking about the event except Helena. She was too busy in the tea garden setting up the wrought iron table and chairs that she had purchased and had delivered that week. The sun beat down as she pushed the table just where she thought the best spot would be. When she finally found the right setting, she walked back to the house where Myka and Claudia had been searching for her because she only had a couple of hours before Charlie arrived. Unbeknownst to HG, Claudia had corresponded with her date about all of the details. The only person Claudia didn't consult on any of them was Helena.<p>

"I told Charlie HG was wearing black," she reported to Myka but Myka was concerned there was a lot more key tapping than that going on. In fact, Helena didn't know it but she had been chatting with Charlie throughout the week.

"Are they taking a limo?" Pete asked Claudia because he remembered what a cool deal that was.

"He didn't say," Claudia reported. "Just said he'll be here with his parents at 5:30," HG's Facebook voice said.

By five thirty on Saturday night, everyone stood in the hallway waiting for Charlie to arrive.

Myka came downstairs first and Pete wolf whispered his approval. "You clean up pretty good, Mykes," he teased her. Myka blushed a little at his attention.

Artie pulled Myka aside. "You're OK with all of this?" he asked and Myka wanted to point out there were several parts of _'this_' she was not comfortable with but she answered yes. No one understood the real concern. Only Myka got that the kid was related to the gardener who was married to a gun toting wife. The odds that his uncle would be at the dance were slim Myka told herself.

"I told HG to think of this as a learning assignment," Artie said trying to put the best spin on his faux pas.

"Aha," Myka said doubtingly.

Then the doorbell rang. Artie opened it to see the young man decked out in a black tuxedo holding a plastic box which contained a red rose corsage. Claudia had coordinated that with him on HG's part when she suggested a little color for the couple. She had Pete get a red rose boutonnière for Charlie. The young man came into the hallway and introduced his parents to Artie who immediately affirmed he was Helena's boss.

"Oh, I thought Charlie said you were Helena's dad," his mother said sweetly and Pete and Claudia cracked up over the error they never got tired of hearing.

Introductions were made until his mother set her sights on Myka. "And you must be Helena," she assumed because Myka was so dressed up. "You're more beautiful in person than Charlie said you were," she said as she took Myka's hand and held it.

"Oh no, Mrs. Connolly, I'm not Helena. I'm Myka Bering, her partner," Myka said back.

"Oh, when I saw you all dressed up I assumed you were she," the mother said embarrassed.

Then Helena came to the top of the stairs. Claudia had helped her get dressed and fixed her hair and makeup. None of her house mates had ever seen her dressed up quite like this and silence fell over the group at on the landing below her. Myka's face beamed as she took in the sight of HG who looked ravishingly beautiful. The black of the dress against her milky white complexion and her raven hair that hung over her shoulders were a stunning combination.

Charlie's mouth hung open. He knew Helena was beautiful but tonight she was gorgeous. Even Pete, who usually would have made some comment by now, fell silent. Feelings he had when he first laid eyes on HG in London surged and he could not help but feel the resurrection of that attraction.

"Holy crap," was the best he could come up with to express his astonishment.

Claudia was pleased with the overall look but had insisted until the last minute that what the outfit needed was boots but HG said she would wear what Myka picked out. Claudia also cautioned HG about what she had on underneath.

"Dude, under no circumstances are you to show anyone what you are wearing under this dress. I mean, HG you're with minors. Do not … ok, just don't," Claudia said and HG could not make out what the point was other than do not do it. She was beginning to worry that perhaps she had made HG sound too friendly on Facebook. "_Myka will be there_,' she comforted herself with.

Helena proceeded to walk down the stairs where Charlie was approached but still came in second to reach her.

"Helena, you look beautiful," Myka said having moved faster than the young man. Helena smiled at the expression on Myka's face as she looked HG up and down.

"As do you," HG said back glad to see Myka and taking in how the green and blue in the dress played off Myka's eyes. She finally took note of Charlie who was to her left.

"Charles, so good to see you," she said and noted that the young man swallowed very hard before he said her name.

"Wow," was all he could come up with and HG blushed at his comment.

"You must be Charles' parents," HG said turning to the couple. "I am Helena Wells, pleased to meet you. You've done a wonderful job raising this young man," HG said - her accent making the words all string together without a breath between them.

This is the part where her parents should have raised an eyebrow or two to the fact that their son had asked the foreign, dark haired, gorgeous, older woman to the prom. But his father joined the others in being taken by her beauty and her mother was being silently seduced by her charms.

"I know this is a bit awkward," she whispered to his mother. "I'm not entirely sure how I got myself into this. But I assure you as a mother, that I will take the utmost care of Charles this evening," HG said and oddly enough, put his mother at ease. She somehow felt as if HG was talking to her as a mother.

"Let's get some pictures," Mr. Connolly called out and asked Charlie and HG to stand on the steps. They exchanged floral gifts and Leena had to help them both.

Claudia pulled Myka into the living room. 'Myka, eh …uhm you know how I made up the Facebook page for HG and how Charlie and she have been taking all week via their pages…," Claudia started and Myka cut her off.

"Don't be silly, Claudia. HG wouldn't know how to use Facebook. I mean I guess it's possible if you showed her but I don't think she's been talking to Charlie all week," Myka thought out loud.

"OK, Myka. I've been HG on Facebook all week, ok? I mean, I started out just answering a couple of questions but then all of a sudden these kids wanted to friend her and I said yes to the first couple but then it was like a bunch every day and I kept saying yes," Claudia said out of breath.

"OK, OK so you friended some people. OK, that's not so bad is it?" Myka asked trying to grasp the issue.

"Yeah, it's not biggie really when you think about it. I just wanted you to know," Claudia said feeling relieved she had told someone.

Leena invited everyone into the dining room where she had prepared some light refreshments. Pete decided he should offer some brotherly advice. After all, it sounded as if he was the only one who had a positive experience going to a prom. He had very fond memories of his prom with the perfect date. He remembered what fun everyone had with the dance, the food, the limo ride. Then he remembered all the other stuff. Now there was little chance he would have to worry about some of it but suppose someone slipped HG something.

"Hey, come here," he said rougher than he intended to Charlie and even HG looked at him in surprise.

"Yes, sir?" Charlie said and Pete was about to say, "_Don't sir me, I know what you're up to_," but caught himself.

"Alright, look. I was your age once," Pete started and winced at how old that made him sound.

"I mean I was a captain of a sports team and I remember the prom, OK?" he tried again and this time it sounded worse and more confusing. Pete's mind raced to figure out what to say next.

"Be careful driving," he finally said and slapped Charlie on the back.

"Oh, I'm not driving, sir," the prom date responded and Pete didn't like the sound of 'sir' and assumed the boy's parents were driving.

* * *

><p>Myka pulled HG aside while the others started to get ready to leave. "Helena, you look great in that dress," she said smiling.<p>

"Well, you picked it out so I should be thanking you," HG said.

"Well, it looks terrific on you," Myka said taking none of the credit.

"I would much prefer to tell me what it looks like _off of _me," HG said close to Myka's ear and Myka felt the temperature in the room escalate.

"Am I going with you?" HG said as if she had not just given Myka great pause.

"What? Oh, no you go with Charlie. I think he'd be very disappointed if you didn't. I'll meet you there though," Myka smiled.

"You need me to come, Mykes," Pete asked as if there might be enough trouble at a local dance to warrant three agents?

"No, thanks Pete. I think I can handle this," Myka said smiling.

"Are you driving?" Artie asked Mr. Connolly since he had only seen one car outside.

"No, Charlie ordered a special ride for tonight. Is it here, Charlie?" he asked his son and the boy checked his phone.

"Yep, waiting outside," he confirmed. With that, Charlie put his arm out for HG to take and HG bowed her head and took his arm. She was impressed with his manners, something she felt the modern world was sorely lacking. Artie opened the door and they all went out onto the porch.

"Oh, dear," Helena said when she saw her mode of transpiration.

"Way cool, dude," Claudia called out.

"You gotta be kidding me," Pete said hoping for the more traditional limo.

There in driveway in the front of the B&B was a horse drawn carriage. Not a Cinderella style but more what HG would have seen in her day, although Charlie had no way of knowing that.

"Oh Charles," was all HG could utter because it was the only thing in this entire escapade that was familiar to her.

Myka watched the glassy eyed look come over Helena and for the first time that evening, felt something really unpleasant. She waited for HG to say something but the Brit stood there taking in the grandeur of the carriage and only Myka knew it had brought Helena back in time.

* * *

><p>"Miss Wells needs these things brought to the carriage," the butler said to Collin since he was by far the strongest of the summer household help.<p>

"My pleasure," the young man said as he welcomed the chance to see Helena one more time before she left for London. He carried the trunk out to the carriage and helped the driver place it on top. When he was coming back down, there was the young Helena Wells looking out the back window.

"Collin, I have had the most glorious summer with you and your family," the young woman said.

"It has been my utmost pleasure, Miss as I know it was theirs as well to serve you," he said standing back.

"Collin," Helena said and wanted to say so much more. She wanted to kiss him one more time because she knew she would never lay eyes on those lips again. Those lips that were her first kiss; those lips that traveled her body and brought her to places she had never known before that summer.

"I will never forget you," she said and meant with all her heart.

"Nor will I, I promise," the young man said and prayed no one would hear or see him speaking to the lady of the house.

Helena returned to London after that summer and was so unbearable to her parents that they considered seeking out the help of a doctor. She was moody and despondent and even more uncooperative than usual. It was only after her brother convinced them that she should be allowed to attend lectures at Oxford did they see some improvement. It was the one thing that seemed to bring Helena out of her despair and soon enough, she was back to herself. She never did forget Collin Connolly or his family and saw to it that each was given an amount of money to follow their dreams.

* * *

><p>"When you wrote you preferred the horse and buggy days, I got the idea," he said and HG came out of her trance. She did not quite get it but Claudia bit her lip.<p>

"One of yours?" Myka asked Claudia and the young ghost writer just shook her head.

"Well, I'll be …," Artie said impressed.

"Ain't it something? Charlie found it all on his own," his mother said proudly.

* * *

><p>Everyone was impressed except Myka. This boy had taken something that HG had said to Myka first and he acted on it. She watched as the high school boy escorted Helena to the carriage and assisted her inside and something started to surge deep within her. How dare he take that chance from Myka? This was supposed to be a fluke; something that Artie got HG into and should not have happened. Myka kept telling herself that it didn't mean anything to Helena – that this neophyte didn't mean anything to her.<p>

There was no threat anywhere on Myka's radar until she saw the look on Helena's face when she saw the carriage. Myka thought back to feeling like this last week – when she went back into the dress shop and talked to the saleswoman who had put her hands all over Helena. She watched now as Helena and the prom date laughed inside the carriage and the feeling grew. She grabbed her pocketbook and jacket and went to the car. Pete and Claudia did not pick up on Myka's building anger. They thought she was annoyed that she had to go at all.

Pete grabbed Claudia around the shoulder as he waved to Helena. "Look at our little girl, Claudia. Seems like only yesterday we brought her home to live with us and look at her, she's on her way to the prom. Where did the time go?" he said pretending to have a teary voice.

Myka started the car and took some deep breaths. Her words came back to her;

"_I will share parts of you with the world, Helena – your genius, your work, your inventions and all of that. And now I will share a small part of you with the Univille lacrosse team because you made ten boys fall hopelessly in love with you,..."_

"The hell I will," Myka yelled as she stepped on the gas hard and made her way to the high school. "The hell I will!"

* * *

><p>Reviews, comments, feedback - you know I read them all and respond much to the chargrin of those of you who<br>like to keep your 'Inbox' free of clutter. What can I say - I read and respond. You've been warned.


	14. Her Royal Highness Helena Wells

**Chapter 14 Her Royal Highness Helena Wells**

Myka wasn't surprised that she beat the carriage to the school given how her anger pushed her foot on the pedal. But what she hadn't planned on was the damn thing taking a detour. As was customary, Charlie and HG stopped at a friend's house where several of the lacrosse players had gathered. What was not customary was each of the boys asking to take a prom picture with Helena. This didn't sit well with the prom dates.

"Aren't you a little old to be going to the prom?" one particularly upset girl asked.

"Indeed, I am," Helena agreed.

"Then what are you doing here?" another asked.

"Well, when a lady is asked to attend such an auspicious occasion as this, she does not turn it down," was all HG could think of. It left many of the girls with blank stares on their faces.

"Yeah, well tell Tracy that," the ring leader said to HG.

"All right, which one is she?" HG asked not picking up on the sarcasm.

"She's the girl Charlie _shoulda_ asked to the prom but didn't cause of you," she said. Helena couldn't stand it anymore.

"You do know it's _should have_, don't you?" she asked exasperated by the lack of English spoken here.

"So how come if you know it too, you came with him?" one replied.

"I had no idea there was another girl. I don't really know how this works. I'm not from here, you know," Helena said and was this close to expanding on that.

"Really?" the leader said sarcastically. "Well, Tracy's heartbroken about it." This was getting complicated.

"Well, why don't I speak to Charles and perhaps we can patch things up?" HG asked as if there had to be a simple solution to this teenage problem. Then Helena reflected on what Leena told her.

* * *

><p>Back in the carriage on the way to the dance, Helena spoke to Charlie. Yes, there was a girl he wanted to ask but that was all before he met Helena. As soon as he met her, he knew there was no one else for him. He liked Tracy and they have been friends a long time but he picked HG to go to the dance. In Helena's day, if a man showed interest to a woman it was interpreted as a bond that he did not easily break. It seemed to her that now a day's one could change their minds quickly and do whatever suited them.<p>

When they got to the school, the entrance and gym had been transformed into a wonderland. HG marveled at the mirrored ball on the ceiling that reflected light into different directions. She took in the sound of the music which seemed very loud to her. The attendees were busy trying to find their tables and when HG finally sat down she realized she had not seen Myka on the way in. She was about to get up when the broadcast was made for everyone to take their seats for a special announcement. The votes had been counted and the Prom King and Queen would be announced. Helena paid little attention to it as she was busy looking for Myka. She took out her cell phone and texted her.

"This year's Prom King is Charlie Connolly!" came the announcement and the room erupted into cheers.

Charlie left HG's side at the table and went up on the dance floor to accept his crown. HG kept looking at her phone.

"And the Prom Queen is our guest of honor, Helena Wells!"

HG sat in her chair unfazed by the announcement. '_Where is Myka_?' is the only thing on her mind. Finally, one of the lacrosse players grabbed her arm.

"Hey, Helena – go up and get your crown. You got all the guys' votes," he said.

Helena looked up and saw that they were looking at her. Then she saw a man standing by Charlie holding a crown. This was a detail Claudia had left out because she never gave it a thought that HG might have to deal with this. One of the girls at the table pulled Helena to stand up and move forward. The room burst into cheers and HG walked to Charlie's side where the man placed the crown on her head.

"And now our new Prom King and Queen will dance their first dance," the announcer said and Charlie took HG to the middle of the floor. Blinded by the spotlight, Helena searched the room from this vantage point for Myka. She placed her hand of Charlie's shoulder and he took her hand as they slowly danced to '_A Thousand Years'_. Bursts of lights went off from cameras and blinded Helena. Charlie skillfully moved HG around the floor and it was only because she was so distracted did she follow. The dance ended and people applauded.

"This is very sweet, Charles but I must find Myka," HG said and Charlie felt disappointed at HG's distraction.

* * *

><p>Myka had arrived earlier than the carriage and went inside to announce her attendance. The administration already knew she would be there and said they were pleased to have the extra staff for the event.<p>

"You'll find this hard to believe but many of our older teachers do not want to chaperone because of the loud music and shenanigans," the principal shared with her.

"Great! Shenanigans," Myka said thinking this was a babysitting job and Mrs. Frederic was to blame.

She waited for the kids to start coming and finally saw the carriage pull up. She was in the back when HG and her date arrived and wanted to go up to her but lost her in the crowd. She wasn't as taken aback as Helena was by the sights and sounds of the place. Her eyes adjusted to the dimness of the room and she wasn't distracted by the beams of light shooting from the ceiling. She didn't find HG in the crowded room until she heard her name announced. She watched as the young man moved around the dance floor with her partner and kept reminding herself that they were there on assignment. "It's just a job," she said. She was grateful that Helena was off the floor before they kissed because although she had a perfect line of sight, she didn't want to have to use the Tesla so early in the evening.

She stood there searching the crowd when HG snuck up beside her.

"Agent Bering, it is good to see you," HG said with a twinkle in her eye that Charlie could only dream of ever seeing.

"Helena," Myka said smiling at the sight of her friend.

"I have been crowned," the Brit said proudly, hoping to impress Myka.

"I see that. Will we have to call you '_your majesty'_ from now on?" Myka teased because HG was there beside her and all was right with the world.

"Yes, of course Myka. It comes with the territory," HG smiled. "I dare say someone will have to break it to Elizabeth though."

"Myka, speaking of duty. I believe I have fulfilled mine. I came, I danced, and I was crowned. When can I leave?" HG asked.

Myka liked that HG wanted to leave already but she knew they were there on a good- will endeavor and leaving an hour after the start of the dance would be frowned upon.

"I think you will have to stay through dinner at least, Helena," Myka suggested and HG all but pouted.

"Fine but I do not think this is any way to treat a Queen. It's no wonder you do not have a monarchy here," HG replied. "I will miss you," HG said as she left her partner's side to return to the table. Myka watched her friend and smiled, shaking her head.

* * *

><p>Charlie asked HG to take a walk outside after dinner and she was happy to get away from the noise and commotion. They stepped outside into the night's warm air.<p>

"Winter will be here soon," he started the conversation. "Then it will be lacrosse season. I hope you'll come to the games, Helena," he said nervously.

"Oh yes, that would be nice," HG said absent mindedly because she had other things to discuss. Charlie was greatly encouraged by her agreeing though.

"Charles, I am honored that you asked me this dance. And I appreciate all the trouble you went to," HG started as Charlie stared down at her mouth as she spoke.

"It was no trouble," he said slowly.

"Well, I do appreciate everything – the flowers, the carriage. That was lovely. But I believe there is another young lady, Charles that would appreciate this night with you even more than I," HG said and spoiled the moment for him.

"Tracy? Come on, Helena. She'll never mean the same to me as you," he blurted out.

"You are a very sweet boy. I believe that you will make a fine boyfriend to the right girl. And if that is Tracy or some other girl, they will be most fortunate," HG said softly.

"But I want that girl to be you," Charlie confessed his heart filled with emotion for the woman who stood before him.

"Charles, your sentiment is very sweet but you and I cannot be," HG said sympathetically.

"Is it because of your age because that doesn't bother me at all," he gushed.

"No darling, it is not your age. Charles, I am at a different place in life and you are just beginning your journey into the world," the Time Traveler said.

"I want to go where you go," the infatuated date said.

"Charles, our paths may cross again someday but for now, we are destined to be on different ones," HG said to him.

"But I will wait for you," he promised.

"I have enjoyed my time with you for reasons I cannot even begin to explain but my heart belongs to someone else – someone I love very much," HG said slowly because she knew it would hurt. And it did. Charlie was smart enough to know there was little possibility of this woman and he being together but his heart ached to be with her.

"You have your whole life ahead of you to engage all kinds of women until you find the one that is right for you. Do not settle, Charles until you find the one you are most deserving of. I do not know if it this Tracy – but I suggest you reach out to her and if she will have you after all this, see where that takes you," HG said.

It should have hurt a lot more than it did Charlie noted but there was something in the way Helena said things that eased that pain. Maybe it was her sultry voice or her accent because even though she was rejecting him, there was still something soothing about the way she put it. He took in what Helena said. Maybe he would find Tracy and ask her to dance. They had been friends a long time.

"Are you leaving now?" he asked Helena and she said yes, that she would leave soon.

"Do you promise to come to one of the lacrosse games?" he asked and she agreed that she would.

Then the young man who felt caught between two worlds – the one he found himself in with this mysterious woman - and his life as the Prom King – bent down and kissed his date. Wild sensations of energy spread throughout his body as he pressed into those lips. Helena, who had been surprised by the action, put her hand on his jaw and pulled away gently.

"Take care of yourself, Charles. It has been my honor to be your date."

It took him a full minute to regain control of his limbs but when he did, he turned and walked back inside. HG waited a few minutes but when she did go to follow him inside, the door was locked. She knocked but with the noise, no one heard her. So she made her way around to another door. This was at the end of a long hallway but it was opened. She could hear the muffled sound of the music on the other side of the building. She started to make her way there when something caught her attention. "HG WELLS – THE TIME TRAVELER" was written in block letters on the bulletin board outside a classroom. There on display were the various papers that the students had written. HG stopped to read some of the lines on the first pages; "_Often called the father of the science fiction genre_," and "_Literary genius who wrote about the concept of time travel_," were just some of the lines that caught her attention. Suddenly, the classroom door opened and out stepped a middle aged man from the classroom. HG's brilliant mind put it together very quickly.

"Mr. Edwards, I presume?" she said extending her hand out to the teacher. Startled that there was anyone there, let alone someone who knew him, the man jumped back.

"Yes, and you are?" he asked nervously.

"Mr. Edwards, I am the person who is going to convince you to alter your teaching methods," HG said slowly and confidently.

The teacher would have called out for security if he weren't so taken by the look in the woman's eyes that held him in her stare.

"I am not sure what you mean," he all but stammered.

"Your job is to inspire these children, Mr. Edwards, not to repeatedly inform them that they are not measuring up to your imaginary standards – ones that I fear even you do not measure up to," HG said as if she knew the man all her life.

"What?" he asked and wanted to protest but found that he simply could not.

"You've been given a great opportunity to share what insights you have with them, Mr. Edwards. But that does not mean they do not have insights of their own. Ones that you could benefit from. I applaud your progressiveness to write such provocative questions such as 'What if HG Wells were a woman?' she almost whispered in his ear and he actually closed his eyes at the sound of her voice.

"Don't punish them, Mr. Edwards for your failings," HG said and his eyes shot opened.

"What do you mean? I don't…," he protested.

"Is there a novel written but never finished somewhere in your life?" she asked and his wide eyed expression was confirmation.

"Put you energies into finishing it, Mr. Edwards. But do not prevent the next generation from expressing themselves because you are struggling with you own," HG instructed more than asked.

"Do we understand each other?" Helena said and now her voice didn't sound so friendly. But he could not argue with anything this total stranger said to him. He did love teaching but lately found that he was constantly frustrated with the students. And with his own writing.

"Yes," was all he said because she had given him plenty of things to think about.

"Who are you?" he asked trying to figure it out. Too old for a student, too young to be a parent.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you," she smiled devilishly. She bowed her head and left. The teacher fell back against the door and thought about the strange event. Then he went back into the classroom and took out the papers from his briefcase that he had spent the night marking, and started to reread them.

Helena felt good about her fortuitous meeting with the English teacher. But she lost her way down the myriad of hallways when she was not paying attention. She texted Myka but when she didn't get a response, she figured it was because of all the noise. She rushed down the hallway when she thought the noise was getting closer and turned a corner too quickly. She hit something very hard and the next thing she knew she was on top of a solidly built man who had broken her fall by holding onto her ass.

It was a sight Myka had actually seen before. Except this time she was armed.

Helena picked up her head only to see something very familiar. Jake's lips. She would recognize them anywhere. She was amazed that she felt no compunction to kiss them. In the seconds that followed the fall, this is what distracted her so much that she did not feel his hands on her rear. But she did hear the whirling sound of the Tesla warming up. She put her hands up to push herself off of Jake and suddenly felt the pull of someone helping her up. It was Myka but she had the Tesla aimed at the man who remained on the ground.

"Mr. Connolly, what brings you to the empty halls of high school?" Myka asked none too calmly.

"I am chaperoning. We check the halls to make sure none of the kids are off drinking or anything," he said not moving.

"Get up," Myka said in a tone that surprised even HG.

"Mr. Connolly, you have a habit of running into my partner and grabbing her ass," Myka said bluntly.

"She ran into me," he protested but Myka's expression silenced him.

"Yes and you always manage to brace her fall by touching her," Myka said. "If I ever see you put a hand on her – anywhere – ever again, I will use this, Mr. Connolly, I promise," Myka said. She put the Tesla back in her bag and Jake backed down the hallway until he could make a quick escape.

"It has been a rough night for the Connolly men," Helena said to Myka.

When Helena walked out of the school, her last glance at the prom floor was Charlie dancing with a smiling young girl whom she hoped was his friend, Tracy.

* * *

><p>Myka walked HG out to the front but when she started to walk to the SUV, Myka stopped her.<p>

"Helena, I asked the driver to take us home. He'll be back in plenty of time to take Charlie and his date home," she said as the carriage approached. The man got down and opened the door and helped the two agents into the back.

"Did you have fun at your first prom?" Myka asked HG sitting next to her.

"It was a learning experience. One I hope never to repeat," HG confessed.

"You never told me what your prom was like, Myka" HG inquired.

"Yeah, well it started out OK. I went with a guy I really liked. I spent weeks picking out the right dress, the right shoes. I went and had my hair and nails done. He picked me up and we went to the dance. It was great for a while," Myka said and looked out the window. Helena reached out and put her hand on Myka's.

"What happened, Myka?" she asked concerned about the tone in Myka's voice.

"We, uh, left the dance and everyone was going to an after party. A lot of the kids were drinking and my date got pretty drunk. He asked me to go outside and I did and he ….," Myka said and stopped.

Helena's mind raced with thoughts. She squeezed Myka's hand.

"Did he hurt you?" Helena asked planning the man's demise whoever he was.

"No, no Helena. He tried to push himself on me but no, I pushed him away and he stopped. It was just really upsetting. He was a nice guy I thought and a friend," Myka said and HG pulled her to her. But it was Helena whose breathing was rapid and shallow. The idea that someone would hurt Myka was making her go on emotional overload.

"He didn't touch you or hurt you, Myka? You can tell me, darling," HG said and tried to control her breathing. But Myka's head was against her chest and she could hear the rapid beating of HG's heart.

"No, I promise, Helena. He didn't do anything. He was drunk. He went unconscious after I pushed him off me," Myka assured her.

Helena held onto to Myka and although Myka was OK, she didn't leave that spot that felt so incredibly safe to her. Helena held onto her friend until they reached the B&B. The driver helped them out of the carriage and they made their way to the house. Helena stopped short of opening the door and turned to Myka.

"I will always try to protect you, Myka," Helena said.

"Thank you, Helena. It was a long time ago. Nothing happened, I promise you. I am ok with it now. I just wanted you to know," Myka said.

They walked into the house where the other agents were waiting for them.

"God, you guys are back early. What is it past your bedtime?" Pete asked.

"How did it go, HG?" Claudia asked.

"I successfully completed my assignment. I have learned a great deal about your generation and their celebratory events. Oh, and I was crowned the Queen!" HG said.

"Whoa!" Claudia yelled and gave HG the high five which she returned.

"See I taught her that," Pete said taking a deep breath. "Queen, eh? Oh now she's going to be just unbearable," he added.

"I beg your pardon," HG said pretending to be insulted.

"Oh geez and she's got the accent and everything," Pete lamented.

Helena's crowning was just another excuse for Pete to whip up a congratulatory snack. He and Claudia went into the kitchen to raid the refrigerator.

"What a night! I'm glad to be off duty I can tell you that," Myka said truthfully.

"Oh darling, I am afraid you are not relieved of duty just yet," the Brit smiled.

"Oh really? Now what would you have me do?" Myka asked knowing HG was up to something.

"Well, as the Queen I believe it is your duty to assist me in retiring for bed," HG said.

"You want me to assist you how, Helena?" Myka asked suspiciously.

"By undressing me and taking me to bed," the Brit said unabashedly.

"You want me to put you to bed?" Myka asked confused by the suggestion.

"You Americans really do not understand the English language. We should have retrieved it when you severed your relationship with us. The monarchy should have insisted that you speak French so you could butcher some other language," HG ranted and Myka couldn't tell if she was kidding.

"Your point, your Highness?" Myka teased.

"I did not say _put me to bed,_ Myka. I said – _take_. Those are two different words completely," HG said sure that her point had been made.

"Oooh," Myka said getting the point. She followed Helena up the stairs.

"You know, the Queen has no jurisdiction over here. When we stopped reporting to the monarchy, we pretty much told her to take a hike," Myka said.

"Is that so?" the Brit said unfazed. "Well, I have it on very good authority that the Queen is about to stage a coup and take back what rightfully belongs to her."

And then she stopped in front of her bedroom door and looked directly into Myka's eyes. "And she will not stop until she had gained complete control," she laughed and opened the door for Myka.

"We're tough, you know. We'll fight back," Myka shot back.

"Darling, you are about to surrender willingly. I promise you," Helena said slowly into Myka's ear.

* * *

><p>Downstairs, Claudia looked at a message on her phone. <em>'Find me the name of the boy who took Myka to the prom'<em> was what the text read.

"_Now what does her Highness want with that_?" Claudia wondered.


	15. Tea and No Sympathy

_Downstairs, Claudia looked at a message on her phone. 'Find me the name of the boy who took Myka to the prom' was what the text read._

_"Now what does her Highness want with that?" Claudia wondered._

The above was added to the end of Chapter 14 after it was posted. Somehow I just didn't think HG would listen to Myka's story without doing something.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 15 Tea and No Sympathy<strong>

Myka felt the bed move and slowly opened her eyes to see an already dressed Helena lying beside her.

"Are you awake already?" Myka asked surprised after the energy HG had expended that she was so refreshed.

"Yes, darling. There is something about the reacquisition that rejuvenated me," HG growled into Myka's ear and caused her to blush.

"Hey, I … put up a fight, kind of," Myka said knowing it was a lie.

"Darling, if you had been in charge of the American armies there would be a Union Jack flying over the White House," HG teased her.

"That's not fair! You fight dirty," Myka said trying to regain a little of her national dignity.

"Yes, that's rather my point," the Brit said with her victory laced voice. "Now, as part of your renunciation agreement, you can march yourself to the tea garden where we can negotiated the terms of your surrender."

"I don't think I like the sound of this," Myka said fully aware that there wasn't a muscle or cell that did not surrender to Helena last night. "What should I wear?"

"I think the white flag you waved last night – over and over again - would do nicely," HG smiled devilishly.

"You are an incorrigible Queen," Myka said pulling the sheets up over her head.

"And you are an insubordinate subject," HG laughed as she left.

Helena made her way to the kitchen where she had asked Leena the day before if she could show her how to make scones. Leena was thrilled that HG was taking an interest in baking and had everything lined up for her when she came down the stairs.

* * *

><p>"Well, you look none the worse for having gone to a prom," Leena said.<p>

"Yes, it was an interesting event," was all that HG said about it. She had other things on her mind.

If Leena thought teaching HG how to mix the ingredients was going to be a simple process, she was sadly mistaken. Assuming that everyone had at one time or another helped their mothers make cakes or brownies was her first error. HG was none too gentle when she poured the flour into the bowl and a cloud of white dust appeared and covered her in the process. Pouring the water in made it pasty and HG had it on her face, fingers and even in her hair.

"You know I've never done this before," Helena said with great pride as she plopped the dough onto the cookie sheet.

"Really? I would have never guessed," Leena said lightly as she surveyed the kitchen that looked as if ten kids had been set loose in it.

Leena helped her to prepare the tea and worried how it was going to make the journey out to the tea garden. She suggested that Helena carry the scones and dishes and she would help her with the tea.

Helena stuck her chest out as she took in the sight of the table in the tea garden. It was set with tea cups, plates for the scones and the tea pot. Leena had to laugh a little at the contrast between the beautiful ambiance of the table and the state of the baker. She went back to the house just as Myka was coming into the kitchen.

"What happened in here?" Myka asked when she saw the mess that stretched from the island covered in white flour to the counter top with broken eggs to the sink pilled with bowls.

"Her Majesty was helping me," Leena said laughing.

Myka smiled and shook her head as she made her way to the tea garden. Helena jumped up when Myka came into the garden. Only forged that week out of Helena's ideas and insistence, Myka marveled at how cozy an area it was surrounded by privacy trees and rose bushes that would bloom next year. She was surprised to see the wrought iron table and chairs. She looked down at how the tea and scones adorned the new setting. But nothing was sweeter than the sight of Helena standing there so proud of her accomplishment – with batter dried to her cheek and flour still in her hair. Myka smiled broadly as her heart swelled with sentiment for her friend who had gone to so much trouble to give her what she wanted.

"Do you like it?" HG asked as she swept her arm to indicate everything.

"More than I can ever say, Helena," Myka said never taking her eyes off HG.

"Please sit down," the Brit instructed as she poured the tea into two of Leena's best china cups.

The weather provided yet one more day of warm temperatures that allowed them to enjoy their outdoor breakfast. It was one of the sweetest things anyone had ever done for Myka and she was touched.

"Helena, I can't begin to tell you how much I appreciate what you did here. I have always dreamed about having a tea garden and having breakfast in a tea garden. And you made it all happen for me. I can't thank you enough," Myka said with deep gratitude.

"It is my pleasure to provide you with things you dream of Myka Bering," HG said.

They finished their scones and tea and Myka helped HG carry all of the items back to the kitchen. Back at the house, HG finally took note of the kitchen. "Oh my, did I do all this?" she asked and Myka burst out laughing. She then sent Myka into the dining room to join the others as she – for the first time in her life – set to clean up a kitchen.

Helena finally joined the others at the dining room table.

"So Agent Wells, I hear the prom was a huge success," Artie said.

"Well, I am not sure about that," HG said.

"I look forward to your report as does Mrs. Frederic," he said reminding her that it had been an assignment which meant paperwork. But for the first time since HG rejoined the Warehouse she did not protest about doing the report.

"Yes, I shall get to that straight away," was what she said and retreated to her room.

* * *

><p>Myka thought it was odd but was happy to see Helena so enthusiastic about work. The agents spent the day helping Leena with the property since she had lost her landscaper temporarily. While Pete, Myka and Claudia worked and fooled around outside, Helena sat diligently at her computer. If Artie had witnessed her work, he would have thought she was writing a ten page report. Her fingers flew over the keys as she searched and pieced together information that she needed. All she had to go on was a name but being the excellent agent that she was, a name was all she needed. By late afternoon, she had built a file on that one piece of information. Claudia's text back told her that Myka's prom date's name was Billy Kerrigan. Helena found out that Mr. Kerrigan was now a lawyer in Colorado Springs, married with no children. After graduating high school, he went on to college where he was a member of a fraternity that had been sanctioned after complaints of sexual harassment were made against some of the members. In spite of this, he graduated with honors and went on law school and joined his father's firm. His area of expertise was estate planning for high net worth clients with assets in the millions. She also knew he had a charity benefit tomorrow night. Helena checked flight availability to Colorado Springs and booked her early morning flight. The only problem in all of this that Helena could see was getting another personal day off from Artie. She would have to forego asking.<p>

* * *

><p>When Monday morning arrived, Leena was the only one who knew HG would not be at the meeting. She had asked Leena if she could borrow her car.<p>

The group assembled in the dining room and it wasn't until Artie was about to start, did anyone wonder where HG was. That was when Leena came in and gave him the hand written note which explained that something had come up that needed her attention and so she needed another personal day. Artie's guilt over the whole prom thing was only beginning to subside and so he decided to cut her some slack. She had done what he asked and by all accounts, had performed splendidly. The only one who wasn't calm about this was Myka. Why hadn't HG told her about this? She checked her phone and there was a text from Helena. "_Myka – I had to take care of something with my estate. More annoying than anything but want to resolve it today. I will miss you, Helena_." Myka thought about it as she tried to ease the knot forming in her stomach. It was very plausible that HG had financial matters that needed her attention. She told herself this until she started to believe it because she wanted to believe it was something simple.

Helena made an early trip because she wanted to leave the house early. But her plan was not to meet up with her intended subject until later that day. She went to the office of Kerrigan and Paine and waited for the senior Kerrigan, the prom date's father to arrive in his car. Then Helena went into her act. She apologized for accosting him in the parking lot but was he indeed William Kerrigan Senior? Taken by the beautiful woman so sharply dressed in front of him, he was more than eager to admit he was. She explained that she had gotten his name from a dear friend in England who suggested she speak to him about her affairs when she arrived in the States. She then told the gentleman, who never indicated he was in any kind of rush, that she was had a rather large estate. After all, she was a descendant of the writer HG Wells and the sole inheritor of the estate.

"Imagine the royalties," she laughed playfully as she seduced the older man into befriending her. He assured her that she had come to the right place but that she really should see his son who was the firm's expert in such matters. She explained that she would not be available until after five and could she stop by then? The older gentleman assured her he would set it up. And In spite of the initial protests, the son finally agreed to meet the new client. HG arrived at five and the secretary announced her to the younger Kerrigan. Helena smiled but her the cold stare in her eyes almost gave her away. She regained control quickly and put that energy into gaining his trust. The buttons on her blouse were opened and she played with her necklace on purpose to see if she could get his eyes to follow. She laughed and admitted she didn't really have a head for all this legal stuff and stopped short of sharing what her head was capable of. It seemed like a match made in heaven for the young lawyer to get a client worth so much money. Which is why he waited until the last minute to apologize but he had to leave to go to a benefit. He was already dressed and Helena made her boldest move yet. Could he escort her to the garage and was there a back way they could take – a more private egress perhaps? If he had not jumped at the idea, Helena may have doubted herself. She stopped and looked at the picture on his desk of him and his wife.

"High school sweetheart?" she asked.

"No, we met in law school. But, we're not exactly getting along," he quickly added and HG couldn't have been more delighted.

"So, not the girl you took to your prom?" HG asked and if he weren't already counting the minutes until he was kissing her, he might have thought it was an odd question.

"No, you know, I can't remember the girl I took to the prom," he said laughing and Helena's anger surged.

'_You will_,' she said to herself. '_You will_.'

Helena told him that she had to go to the ladies room and would meet him in the stairwell that he assured her would provide them privacy. She left and went onto the elevator assuring that people saw her leave. Then she backtracked to the stairwell and went up to meet the man eager to commit adultery. He couldn't believe how spontaneous he was being. He met with a lot of young, beautiful women who were potential clients but none of them came onto him with such animal magnetism. He was so turned on by being openly seduced by this woman. And there she was waiting for him. She grabbed him forcefully.

"You are an interesting woman," he said as he started to put his hands all over her. She was going to have to act quickly before that happened again.

"Why don't you remove your pants," she said and pretended to undo her buttons.

"You can't wait, can you?" he said as he did as she suggested.

"No, I can't. But I would like to apologize for my next move, Mr. Kerrigan," HG said and he completely misunderstood her.

"Oh I don't think you'll have to apologize," he said trying to kiss her but she moved her face so she could whisper in his ear.

"I am going to give you something you will remember for the rest of your life," HG growled in his ear and electricity shot up his spine.

"And what is that, Ms. Wells?" he asked playing along.

"The name of your prom date," she said and he laughed thinking she was kidding. He could not have been more wrong.

"I don't have time to explain everything darling," HG said still touching his shoulders and keeping his focus on her. "But you were a very _naughty _boy a long time ago," and he only heard one word. _God this woman was hot. _"I am here to repay an old debt," she said as she took hold of his forearms and faced him.

"This is for hurting Myka," is what she said before she head butted him so hard it knocked him against the wall. He grabbed his head and yelled, "What? You crazy bitch," but it would be the last thing he said. She had the advantage because her pants were not down around her ankles. So she raised her foot, kempoed his head and grabbed his neck to slowly render him unconscious. Then she reapplied her lipstick, bent down and kissed him until the lipstick was all over his face.

"If I weren't such a lady, Mr. Kerrigan, I'd spit," she said to her unconscious guest.

Then she sat down on the steps and waited for him to come to. She sent Myka a text which updated her that she was almost through with her meeting and would be returning soon. Myka was happy to see the communication but still a little worried.

When Bill Kerrigan came to, he jumped back against the wall and grabbed his head.

"What the hell did you do to me?" he asked checking to see if there was blood. There wasn't.

"I jogged your memory. Now listen to me, Mr. Kerrigan. That was payback for something you probably don't even remember but that doesn't matter to me," HG said and he was amazed at how confident a woman half his size sounded. His pain was rivaled by his embarrassment given his current state of dress. He scrambled to pull his pants up.

"I will bring full charges against you, you idiot," he yelled.

"I'm only going to say all this only once. You are going to say you fell – and that is what caused your current state of disarray. And the reason you are not going to involve me is because I left the building. And I represent one of your potentially largest clients. If you even mention my name, I will say that you were a very willing accomplice in our tryst. How would that sit with Mrs. Kerrigan and the Chair to the benefit you are attending tonight on Family Morals?" she asked having done her homework.

"You're crazy. I never did anything to Myka! I hardly knew her. We went to the prom and that's it," he said giving her more information that he thought she deserved.

"No, Mr. Kerrigan. That is not it. You got drunk and pushed yourself on her. She thought of you as a friend and you betrayed her," HG said calmly.

"Hey, you make it sound like I attacked her," he said fixing his suit jacket recalling that he was drunk and woke up the next day with Myka nowhere in sight.

"Oh, Mr. Kerrigan," the dark haired woman said slowly as she got up and stepped in closer to him. "If you had attacked her, you would be on your way to the hospital with severe injuries that I dare say you might not survive."

He looked down into the scariest eyes he had ever seen in his life. His head pounded, his neck hurt and he could feel the bump getting larger on his head.

"I've left my portfolio on your desk, Mr. Kerrigan. You'll probably want to make up an excuse as to why you don't want me as a client. For I dare say, I may not be as friendly the next time we meet," Helena said as she walked down the stairs and out of the building.

* * *

><p>Helena sat in the airport waiting for her flight back, the energy drained from her now. She texted Myka again that she hit some traffic but would be back soon. She did not like lying to her and it was the only regret she felt. But she knew Myka would not be pleased that she had taken things into her own hands. She settled this score without Myka's approval. Maybe someday she would tell her but not now. She rubbed her forehead. Apparently being the hitter did not mean you didn't walk away unscathed from a head butt. She boarded the plane and took her seat. She was tired and closed her eyes on the flight back. When she landed, she made her way to Leena's car and headed home. She never noticed the black Crown Victoria car parked near her. Nor the window slowly closing as she pulled away.<p>

"Take me home, " Mrs. Frederic said to her driver.


	16. When You Go Out on a Limb, It Can Break

Trouble posting on FF so just a short chapter.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 16 When You Go Out on a Limb, It Can Break<strong>

Somewhere in Colorado Springs, Bill Kerrigan had pulled himself together enough to make his late entrance into the hotel across the street from his office. He was not entirely sure what had happened. He had found the raven haired woman absolutely seductive and followed his instincts into that stairwell. Those instincts told him that he would have an experience he would not soon forget. They were right. He pushed back his thick wavy hair and entered the ballroom taking his seat next to his wife and the Chair of the Family Morals Foundation. When his wife wiped his face with her napkin, only then did he realize that someone else's lipstick was all over his face. By the end of that night, his wife had thrown him out of their townhouse and the Chair asked him to resign from his position on the board.

* * *

><p>Helena drove home hoping her story would hold. Who goes to an all-day meeting close by for financial advice? Hopefully, Myka wouldn't ask too many questions. She didn't like the lie she had already told and didn't want to add to it. When she arrived home, it was well after dinner and Myka was the first to greet her. The texts HG had sent helped Myka to remain calm throughout the day.<p>

"Hey, how are you?" Myka asked glad to see the weary traveler when she came through the door.

"Helena, what the hell happened to your head?" Myka asked pushing HG's hair out of the way to see the bump on her head. She had forgotten how visible that was in spite of the pain that she still had from it. Helena put her hand up to cover it.

"Oh, yes I hit my head on the car door, isn't that silly?" HG said thinking quickly. Now she had told her two lies.

"Are you OK? It looks bad," Myka said full of concern and it made HG feel guilty.

"Oh, yes it hardly hurts. Looks worse than it feels," HG lied. Number three.

"Did you eat? Are you hungry? Leena left a plate for you," Myka said.

"No, darling. I'm not really hungry. I think I shall take a hot shower and retire for the evening. How was your day?" she asked trying to get the focus off of her.

"It was good. Mrs. Frederic was by the Warehouse and took up most of Artie's afternoon which kept him out of our hair," she laughed. "How did you meeting go?"

"It was quite productive, I think. Just something I felt I needed to follow up on. We butted heads on a couple of issues but I think I got them to see things my way," HG said telling the truth.

"You always do, don't you?" Myka said thinking she was talking about her financial estate.

Helena retreated to her room, took a long hot shower and went to her laptop to type up her report on the prom. She finished it and sent it via email to Artie and Mrs. Frederic. Artie was pleased to see the report in his 'In box' and read the report that night. So did Mrs. Frederic.

Myka didn't pursue any questions with Helena even though she felt unsettled about the day. If Helena wanted her to know about her business, she would tell her. She went to bed feeling the distance between them over this – small as it was, Myka was sensitive to any disconnect with her partner.

* * *

><p>Tuesday morning rolled around too quickly for Helena, who was still paying the price for her choice of weapon. '<em>Not smart, Helena<em>,' she castigated herself. She dressed and went down to join her fellow agents. The lump on her head had gone down but remained red and slightly raised. It was obvious enough that even Artie asked what happened. She used the car door excuse and it seemed to explain things. He thanked her for the report and everything seemed to be in order. Then out of nowhere, at the end of the meeting, he announced that Mrs. Frederic wanted to see Helena in the office room off the main hallway.

"Maybe she wants to congratulate you on your _crowning_ victory at the prom," Pete kidded and HG smiled uncomfortably.

Even Myka looked concerned but there was no hint of worry from Artie. "Maybe she just wants to talk to you about the dance. She did say it was a good will assignment, HG," Myka tried to reassure Helena.

"Yes, that must be it," HG said and wanted to believe it.

Helena knocked on the door and heard Mrs. Frederic say come in. She was seated at the desk and indicated for HG to sit in the chair in front of it. She had a stack of manila folders in front of her. Helena took her seat and waited for Mrs. Frederic to stop reading the papers she held in her hands.

"So I see the event in Univille went well," Mrs. Frederic said without looking up from Helena's report.

"Yes," HG said not offering any more information.

"Good, I'm glad to hear that," the older woman said and put the paper down.

"How is your head?" she asked staring directly at HG.

"It's okay, thank you," Helena said slowly hoping this was not connected to anything.

"Good, I'm glad to hear that," she said again.

"I have asked Artie if you were available for a special assignment and he assured me that you would be at my disposal," the sage began and Helena listened attentively.

"Of course," HG concurred.

"It occurred to me last night that we might as well make the most of your _special talents_, Agent Wells. So your next assignment is to track these people down and deal with them," Mrs. Frederic said as she patted the stack of files in front of her.

"Track them down? Is there a common denominator with them? Are they affected by the same artifact?" HG asked curious about her boss' choice of words.

"No, no artifact but there is a common denominator, Agent Wells," the woman said quickly and Helena started to get suspicious.

"For instance, this file is on a Randal Walker. He lives in British Columbia now but many years ago, he went to elementary school in Colorado. This is the file of one Mary Anne Littman. She is working in New York. Sister Mary Elizabeth is in a nursing home for nuns in Colorado. You better rush on her. She's not well from what I hear," Mrs. Frederic said and Helena started to get confused.

"Mrs. Frederic, if there is no artifact at work here, what is it that I am tracking them down for?" HG asked.

"Well, you see Agent Wells, each of these individuals – and we have found fifteen so far, at one time or another has done something to offend or upset Agent Bering. Mr. Walker was in fifth grade when he purposely spilled milk on Myka in the lunch room. Ms. Littman went to college with Myka and stole her notes in biology right before the final. Fortunately, Agent Bering has an eidetic memory and didn't need the notes. However, that does not lessen the crime. The nun falsely accused Myka of looking at someone else's paper and gave her a zero on a test. Given how seriously Myka took her academics, she was terribly upset over that one in particular so you may want to start there," Mrs. Frederic said as she opened files and placed them in second pile.

"You're not serious," HG protested.

"Agent Wells, I have never been more serious," Mrs. Frederic said and HG gulped.

"Mrs. Frederic, if this is because I paid Mr. Kerrigan a visit," HG started her confession and Mrs. Frederic sat back in the chair waiting.

"Surely you are not comparing spilling milk with pushing oneself on Myka?" HG said laughing nervously.

"No, of course not. I see it as a continuum. At one end is spilling milk, in the middle stealing and at the other end are the more egregious acts," the Keeper said looking down at the files. She pulled one out as Helena's mind raced.

"I felt Mr. Kerrigan's particular act was offensive to Myka. She thought of him as a friend. He betrayed her," HG tried to explain.

"So you see betrayal on the other end of the spectrum. OK, in that case you might want to start here," Mrs. Frederic said and handed her a file.

Helena took it with trepidation. She did not like what was going on. She understood now that her boss knew about her trip but she couldn't figure out what the consequence was going to be. Helena opened the file.

"Mr. Bering? You want me to go to her father?" HG asked getting up from her chair.

"Sit down, Agent Wells. If you insist on starting with people whom Myka feels betrayed by, then you should see her father," Mrs. Frederic said as if she was giving her the simplest instructions.

"This is mad. I get it. I took things into my own hands," Helena said putting the file on the desk. "You're upset with me. I didn't go there as an agent though. I didn't take my badge or my weapon," HG said hoping to clarify things.

"Oh, I know. You used your head," Mrs. Frederic said unfazed by Helena's point.

"Mrs. Frederic, I can't go to Myka's father. I don't know that she feels betrayed by him and it's not my place…," HG stammered and her boss raised her eyebrows.

"You don't know? Not your place? Did you consider these things before you went to Mr. Kerrigan?" her boss asked.

"He hurt her! Yes, I thought about that. And he was not going to get away with it," HG said before she thought.

"OK, then. Do you want to start with Mr. Bering or Sister Mary Elizabeth?" Mrs. Frederic said flatly.

"What am I to tell them when I meet them?" HG said trying to get a handle on this.

"Tell them you are Myka's self-appointed Guardian Angel and you are there to settle some old scores," Mrs. Frederic said plainly.

"And what am I to tell Myka? That I intend to pay a visit to her father and … and ….," and HG wasn't sure what followed.

'Why tell her? You didn't tell her about Mr. Kerrigan," Mrs. Frederic asked and now HG held her head because the pain was searing again.

"Mrs. Frederic, please. I know you're up set with me. But I won't do this," HG said defiantly.

"You have no choice, Agent Wells. You created this job for yourself. We are just making the most of it. Unless you are refusing your assignment? Which would result in you being placed on a mandatory leave of absence," the older woman said calmly. "And that would mean you would not be with Myka."

"_What the hell have I done_?" Helena said as she placed her head down into her hands. "_Myka is not going to be happy with this_!"


	17. Hells Road is Paved With Good Intentions

** Chapter 17 The Road to Hell is Paved with Good Intentions**

Helena woke up with a gasp. One minute she was in the office downstairs with Mrs. Frederic and the next minute she was still in her bed. "_Was she in my dream_?" she wondered because Mrs. Frederic could invade more than just walls. She listened for any noise but there was none. Her watch told her it was still early morning. How ironic for the Time Traveler to feel so unsettled by the jump backwards in time. Or was it forward? Helena sat up in bed and felt the pain from the bump. That hadn't changed. This meant she could at least be certain that her visit to Kerrigan's office had really happened.

If it were only a dream, it was very real. Maybe Mrs. Frederic had entered her dream on purpose. Helena knew better than to cast doubt on what she was capable of. Her skills were still a mystery to HG. Or perhaps the dream simply foretold what was going to happen today. Maybe if it really was only a dream and HG could do something differently now that she knew what was coming? She considered what those options might be as she got up and dressed. Maybe she would not go downstairs – but if Mrs. Frederic wanted her – she could show up anywhere, anytime. She carefully looked around the bedroom as she thought that. The only other possibility she could come up with was being prepared enough if that conversation took place – again. But in order to do that, she would have to talk to Myka. So that is what she did. She knocked on Myka's door and entered when she heard her say '_come in'_.

"Well, you're up early," Myka said smiling and rolling over in her bed and stretching. "How is your head? Come here, let me see it," Myka instructed and sat up in bed.

Helena sat down next to her and Myka pushed her hair back to see the lump on her forehead. She leaned into the warm hand on her head.

"Well, I'm glad to see it's gone down but it's still noticeable. Does it hurt?" she asked with great concern.

"No," Helena said and Myka knew immediately something was wrong.

"What is it, sweetheart?" Myka asked.

"Myka, I may have done something that you will not be pleased with," Helena said taking a deep breath and jumping in.

"What Helena? Don't worry – just tell me, we can sort this out," Myka assured her.

"Myka, I was not at my financial advisers yesterday. I went to Colorado Springs to see your old prom date," HG said with her eyes cast downward. She did not want to see the expression in Myka's eyes. Had she looked, she would have seen confusion.

"Helena? Why would you go to see him?" Myka asked not yet putting it all together.

"When you told me what happened to you at the prom ….," HG stated and that shed the light on the topic for Myka.

"Oh my God, Helena what did you do?" Myka asked grabbing Helena's arms to face her.

"I went to his office, Myka. I ….hit him," Helena finally got out the short version and Myka's eyes grew wide.

"You hit him? You went in there and said what? I'm Helena Wells and ….and…. whack?" And Myka stopped because she could not even imagine how that scenario played out.

"I did tell him who I was and then we ….. talked a little … and I asked him about his prom ….and eventually we got to the part where I … paid him back," HG said pulling her face away from Myka's stare. There were so many details about the incident that Helena did not want to share.

"You walked in there and talked and then hit him? Did he hit you back?" Myka asked her voice raising an octave.

"No, no – he didn't have time," HG said with the slightest bit of '_please_, _don't be ridiculous' _to her voice but Myka shot her a warning look for boasting.

"Helena, I don't know what to say. I never thought in a million years that telling you that story would result in you traveling to see him," Myka said with mixed feelings.

"The thought that someone would hurt you Myka, physically or otherwise, made me so angry. I felt compelled to straighten him out," HG said sheepishly but hoping Myka would take it as chivalrous. Myka did.

"I should be very angry with you, Helena G. Wells for doing something so foolish! You could have gotten hurt. You could have gotten into a mess of trouble doing something so dangerous. He could press charges against you or worse, tell Artie somehow," Myka said thinking of the possibilities.

"I don't think Mr. Kerrigan will want anything to do with me in the future," Helena said happy that Myka was not angry with her.

"Mr. who?" Myka asked.

"Mr. Kerrigan," HG answered thinking her accent might have confused Myka.

"William Kerrigan?" Myka asked slowly.

"Yes, William Kerrigan Junior – your prom date," HG said confidently.

"Helena! William Kerrigan was not my prom date," Myka said quickly.

"Don't be silly, darling, of course he was. He said your name… after I _refreshed _his memory," HG said allowing her pride - in just how judiciously she thought she handled that - seep through.

"Helena, I was Bill Kerrigan's prom date. I went to his prom. We went to different schools, Helena. That is not the man I was talking about," Myka said grabbing HG's arms again.

"But he said he was drunk… and …. that …," HG stammered trying to remember what he had said.

"Helena, a lot of the kids at the prom got drunk. Bill asked me to go because his girlfriend was sick. We knew each other briefly. I went to the prom with him but we were not close friends. I was doing him a favor. And you hit him?" Myka said putting the stories together. The expression on Helena's face confirmed that she had. She looked at the bump on her forehead.

"Is that how you hurt your head?" Myka said closing her eyes.

"Yes," the Brit said and attempted to get up but Myka grabbed her wrists and held her in place.

"Helena, I know your heart was in the right place, but you can't rush off and punish anyone that may have mistreated me or upset me in the past. I appreciate that you would want to protect me, but you can't go back and take care of things that happened then. You of all people know you can't change the past," Myka said leaning her head into Helena's.

"You cannot change the events, Myka. But that does not mean you cannot deliver the consequences. There is no time limit on that," HG said from a dark place in the recesses of her mind.

Myka knew she was speaking of other things and she grabbed her and held onto her.

"Helena, as much as I think it's _adorable_," Myka said being facetious, "… that you want to avenge anyone who did something to me -you've just seen what can happen even if your intentions were …... ," Myka stopped at saying '_good_' because she did not think Helena went there with any such thing. She went with the intent of hurting the man and Myka knew it.

"Promise me you will tell me next time you ever feel like doing this again, Helena," Myka said and her voice sounded stern to HG.

Helena struggled with her response. If she had to do it all over again, would she still pursue the man who offended Myka so? Hell yes! Of course, this time she might check out her facts a little better first.

"Helena, the fact that you are taking so long to make that promise concerns me," Myka said because she knew her partner well.

But in that span of time, Helena figured out the reason she should offer Myka that promise. Because now, if she went downstairs and Mrs. Frederic really was waiting for her, she could not follow through on her assignment without telling Myka first. She would promise to tell her she was doing it.

"I promise," Helena said crossing her heart for the full effect.

"Good. Now I'm sure what to do about Bill Kerrigan," Myka said thinking this was one mess Helena could not clean up by herself. "Where did you even get his name from?" Myka finally got around to asking.

"It's late, dear – shouldn't you get dressed and come downstairs?" HG said jumping on her question. She got up and went to the door.

"Myka, do the names Randal Walker, Mary Anne Littman and Sister Mary Elizabeth mean anything to you?" Helena asked trying to sound nonchalant.

"Helena, how do you know those names?" Myka asked more curious than concerned.

"You do know them?" HG asked slightly alarmed.

"Yes, I do. Let me see, Randal was a kid I knew in grade school, I went to college with Mary Anne and Sister Mary is a teacher I had in high school. Helena, how do you know these names?" Myka asked.

"I dreamt about them," HG confessed truthfully. "I hope," she swallowed.

"How is that possible?" Myka asked amazed.

"I am not sure yet, Myka," her partner said convincingly.

* * *

><p>Helena went downstairs while Myka got dressed. She took the steps down slowly as she surveyed the landing below. She could hear Pete and Claudia in the dining room with Artie already. There was no sign of Mrs. Frederic but then again, when was there ever a sign that this woman was about to show up? Knowing that - might have made one think Helena should not have been surprised when she entered the living room and there was the Keeper seated on the couch. But then, Helena's nerves were already a bit on edge.<p>

"Good morning, Agent Wells," Mrs. Frederic said to her as HG clutched her chest.

"Mrs. Frederic," HG said trying to steady her voice. The Keeper moved her eyes from Helena to the couch across from her and back to HG and she knew she was being told to sit down.

"You spoke to Agent Bering I take it?" her boss asked.

"Did we already discuss this?" Helena asked out of curiosity. Mrs. Frederic just looked at her as if to indicate she had no time for questions.

"I made a terrible mistake," Helena confessed.

"Yes I know. Mr. Kerrigan was thrown out of his house last night and asked to resign from the charity because of your actions," the Sage reported. Now Helena knew some discussion about this had already taken place.

"Oh, bloody hell," HG said before she could think and then looked apologetically at her boss.

"I don't know why you are surprised. You accomplished what you set out to do," Mrs. Frederic said.

"But I had the wrong man," HG said as if she didn't already know that.

"A small detail you overlooked in your zealousness, I'm afraid," the Warehouse Keeper said over her glasses.

Helena averted her eyes and sat on her hands as she waited for what was next.

'_God, please tell me this isn't the part where you ask me to get the nun_,' is the thought that crossed her mind and her boss answered; "Not yet Agent Wells, but I am not taking it off the table as a possible future assignment for you. But for now, you're going to go back to Mr. Kerrigan and apologize," Mrs. Frederic said and HG's head shot up.

And if Helena didn't think that was bad enough, her boss then added; "And then you will explain it to his wife and the Chair of the benefit foundation."

The expression on Mrs. Frederic's face told Helena there was no room for discussion. She was to clean up her mess much the same way she did the kitchen after she made the scones – slowly and meticulously. Somehow the baking aftermath seemed a bit less sticky.

"Only if you can undo the terrible consequences will I excuse you from the other assignment, Agent Wells," Mrs. Frederic warned Helena. "If Mr. Kerrigan in not made whole by tonight, you will start your other task tomorrow."

"Does Artie know?" HG asked because she couldn't imagine he was going to give her a third personal day.

"Yes and he's been instructed to give you the day to take care of this situation that you find yourself in," Mrs. Frederic said.

'_Oh he must be thrilled about that_,' HG thought to herself.

"No, he is not Agent Wells," the sage called back from the hallway and HG decided to recite the sonnets in her head until the woman was far away.

* * *

><p>Myka was descending the stairs when Mrs. Frederic was leaving.<p>

"Oh, Agent Bering I would like you to accompany Agent Wells on her return trip to Colorado Springs today. She is to fix the mess she made there with Mr. Kerrigan," she relayed.

Myka was happy to be with Helena but wasn't sure about the destination.

"Oh?" Myka said hoping to get what her boss was thinking.

"Yes, Agent Bering. I believe your presence might be of some help to her. She's not very good at apologizing just yet. I would like you as the senior agent to make sure she stays on track," her boss shared and then added as she stopped at the door, "And Myka?"

"Yes, Mrs. Frederic?" the agent asked.

"Do whatever is necessary to keep her out of trouble," the Warehouse Keeper said. "Bring your Tesla, Agent Bering."

Helena walked into the hallway where Myka was getting the news she was going.

"And you Agent Wells. Pack your humility," Mrs. Frederic said as she closed the door.

* * *

><p>"She's not very pleased with me," Helena stated the obvious.<p>

"We'll try to work it out, Helena. Don't worry," Myka said reassuringly.

"Thank you, Myka. I do hope so," HG said and all she could think of was having to tell Myka her next visit would be to her father. That was not going to score any points with her.

* * *

><p>Thank you to all of you who are still reading this - and for your feedback.<br>I do appreciate it all.


	18. Helena's Mea Culpas

**Chapter 18 Helena's Mea Culpas**

Of all the things Helena could have packed for a day trip, humility would be in short supply. She equated humble with submissive and therefore, wanted no part of it. Myka interpreted Mrs. Frederic's suggestion that Helena should be remorseful about her actions. Both things would be a struggle for HG. She was remorseful she got the wrong man, but had it been the correct person, she would not be repentant at all.

It wasn't until they were on the plane that Myka shared that she thought they should go to Bill Kerrigan's office and see if he would see them. And so they went there straight from the airport. Myka flashed her badge to the secretary and asked if Mr. Kerrigan had a few free minutes that they could talk to him. She gave her name and when the secretary called him to announce who was there, he asked her to tell Myka to come in right away. No one told him about Myka's partner. Myka opened the door and he stood up from his desk to greet her.

"Myka Bering! You are a sight for sore eyes," he said and then stopped dead in his tracks when he saw who was behind her.

"Myka? You know this woman?" he asked retreating behind the desk.

"Bill, thank you for seeing me. This won't take long, I know you're very busy," Myka said setting the stage. "Bill, there was a terrible mistake made yesterday and Agent Wells …," she started.

"Agent?" he asked trying to figure out what kind of agent did what this woman did.

"Yes, Agent Wells is a Federal Agent like me," Myka said waiting for him to invite them to come closer.

"Myka, this woman accused me of doing something to you and head butted me in the stairwell," he started.

"Bill, it was a terrible mistake of misidentification on Agent Wells' part," Myka said slowly.

"I tried to tell her that," the man said still unsure he wanted her there. But it was good to see Myka he thought.

This was the longest Helena had ever remained silent when someone was talking about her and Myka was impressed.

"Bill, Agent Wells is very sorry, really sorry about what happened and I was hoping you could just hear her out if you have a minute," Myka said so diplomatically that he had trouble refusing her.

He pointed to the chairs in front of his desk and the agents sat down.

"Mr. Kerrigan, I want to apologize for what I did. I mistook you for someone else. I am sorry," HG started and Myka watched to see his response. In HG's mind, that was all there was to it and she was done.

"So you meant to do that to someone else?" he asked not yet accepting her apology.

"Yes," HG answered without thinking of how that would sound.

"No," Myka answered for her because she knew she'd get it wrong. He believed Helena's answer.

"You brought the art of seduction to a new level, Ms. Wells," he said and HG was not planning on him sharing any details.

"Well, I do apologize….," she said but Myka cut her off.

"Seduction?" she asked her old friend. "How exactly did Ms. Wells get you in the stairwell, if you don't mind me asking?"

"What do you have to write up a report on her or something like that?" he asked.

"Not write it up but I do need to investigate it as her superior agent. But it's all confidential so if you don't mind telling me," Myka said in a very friendly voice that HG knew she used when she was trying to elicit information.

"I don't think _how_ is important ….," Helena started but her victim was more than willing to share his side of the story with Myka. No one else would listen.

"She met my father in the parking lot. Got him to agree to set up an appointment with me under the ruse of looking at her estate. My father insisted I see her even though I was scheduled to be at a benefit across the street. She can be very persuasive. Ms. Wells appeared around five and within minutes of our meeting, came on to me like gangbusters," he said directly to Myka.

"I rather think the point here is that I am apologizing….," Helena tried again to refocus the conversation but neither of them was listening to her.

"Like gangbusters?" Myka asked him and HG immediately recognized this as a Bering technique to get the other person to expand on something they just said. She didn't want him to tell Myka that.

"Myka, I have apologized ….," HG gave it a shot but her partner turned slowly to look at her as if to say '_stop_'. Helena was becoming an expert at reading Myka's expressions.

"You'll excuse me for being so blunt Ms. Wells, but you really turned up the heat. Her buttons were opened and she was definitely suggesting we meet somewhere alone. I admit, I took the bait," he confessed.

"And rather quickly," HG said under her breath turning away from Myka.

"And then what happened?" Myka asked and Helena did not like the tone at all.

"Well, she went to the ladies room and said she'd meet me in the stairwell and when I got there she made her move," he said.

Myka sat there shaking her head trying to appear professional while at the same time, planning on how she was going to wring her partner's neck.

"She asked me to remove my pants," he recalled.

"OK, I don't see what the bloody good the sordid details are going to do," HG said rising from her chair. "I … I … did what I felt was necessary because I believed with all my heart that I was with the correct culprit …," she attempted to explain her deeds.

"I'm sorry Bill, you were saying?" Myka said ignoring Helena's outburst.

"Well, I admit I thought we were about to engage in …. something…..but the next thing she said was that she was going to give me….. _something that I would remember for the rest of my life_…," he said and Helena actually moaned '_Oh God_' out loud as she sat back in her chair.

"Did she? The rest of your life, " Myka asked feigning amazement.

"Then she hit me," he said and put his hand up to his head where she landed. "I don't know what else she did but I woke up a few minutes later on the floor."

Helena turned ever so slightly in her seat away from Myka but it didn't help; she could feel the weight of her anger building.

"I tried to tell her Myka, that you and I hardly knew each other. That nothing happened that night. But she wouldn't listen!" he concluded.

"I find that so hard to believe," Myka said her tone dripping with sarcasm.

"By the time I got myself together and went over to the event, I was very late. I didn't realize until my wife noticed that _someone_ had smeared her lipstick all over my face," he said looking directly at Helena who refused to make eye contact with anyone.

Myka listened intently. This was a slightly different version than what Helena said happened and now it shed even more light on the fact that it was all premeditated and scathing. HG was hell bent on delivering what she thought was just punishment.

"My wife threw me out of the house and the head of the organization the benefit was for, asked me to resign my position," he ended with.

"Bill, I don't know what to say," Myka said truthfully. And meant '_Where to begin cleaning up this mess'_?

"Well, I do! Mr. Kerrigan, I made a terrible mistak_e_. I acted inappropriately both before and after I …. hit you…. And for all of that I apologize. I realize that my actions caused you further injury and I would like the opportunity to rectify both those situations as well. But I can't do that if we're sitting here going over the details of the event with a fine tooth comb," HG said exasperated and honestly thought she summed it up all rather well.

"You want to speak to my wife? Are you kidding?" he asked and Helena turned to Myka with her hand stretched out to him as if to say – '_now what am I supposed to do_?'

"Bill, do you think it would do any good for Helena to talk to her and explain that this was all her doing and that she takes full responsibility?" Myka asked calmly.

"I don't know, Myka. She won't even speak to me so you'd have to go to the house on your own," he said.

"Well, let's just hope she is going to be more understanding that Helena's partner is going to be when all of this is over," Myka said smiling so sweetly that Bill didn't quite get the point but HG did in a flash.

"Oh bloody hell," was all she could utter into her hands as she cradled her head.

"And Bill, to show how sincere Helena really is, she's decided to ask you to be the lawyer for her estate," Myka said as if she and HG had a long discussion about this.

"Pardon?" Helena said to Myka.

"Yes Helena, I know you want Bill to forgive your transgression and what better way than to compensate him by giving him your account," Myka said smiling to HG with what she knew was not Myka's sincerest effort.

So now the man Helena hoped never to see again was going to be her lawyer? Helena began to think Myka was taking lessons from Mrs. Frederic.

"Isn't that so, Helena?" Myka said when HG didn't say anything.

"Yes, of course. I would appreciate it if you would accept me as a client, Mr. Kerrigan," Helena said.

Bill Kerrigan had looked over Helena's portfolio last night when he returned to the office after his wife kicked him out. It was a sizeable account indeed. Perhaps he would give the Brit another chance.

"I accept you apology, Ms. Wells and I will accept you as our newest client," the man said.

HG wanted very much to say something sarcastic but she could already feel the temperature of the hot water she was in and decided to use her civil tongue.

"Thank you, Mr. Kerrigan. I do appreciate that you were kind enough to meet with me today and accept my apology. I will do my best to explain this to your wife and the charity designate," HG said calmly.

"It was good to see you, Bill. Thanks again," Myka said as she shook his hand. Helena preceded Myka into the waiting room when Bill asked Myka; "Is she going to be in trouble for all of this?" He meant it to explain that he did have a hand in this mess as a willing participant.

"She has no idea how much trouble she is in," Myka said staring at her partner in the waiting room.

* * *

><p>Helena did not say anything to Myka until they reached the car. "Thank you for your help," she said and Myka nodded but didn't say anything. One down, two more to go was how HG thought of it. Myka just wanted to get through the day and deal with Helena later. They drove up to the four bedroom colonial at the address Bill had given them.<p>

"You're on your own with this one," Myka said as she allowed HG to walk up to the doorway first. Helena rang the doorbell and within seconds, a woman answered it. She was dressed in her exercise outfit but Myka could see that her eyes were red and swollen from crying.

"Excuse me, Mrs. Kerrigan but my name is Helena Wells. Mrs. Kerrigan, I am the woman who kissed your husband last night …," was all Helena got out before Myka heard the sound of the slap the woman placed on HG's face before slamming the door. Myka grabbed her partner's shoulder as HG grabbed her cheek.

"Ow!" HG yelled as she felt the sting on her face. "Why I'll bloody …," she started to yell but saw the expression on Myka's face.

"Are you starting to channel Mrs. Frederic, Myka?" HG asked exasperated and knocked on the door. It took a bit longer but the door finally flew open.

"Mrs. Kerrigan, if you would just let me explain …," HG said rubbing her jaw.

"Explain what? How the lipstick got all over his face?" the woman yelled and now neighbors turned their heads.

"Mrs. Kerrigan, I am Agent Bering ma'am. Could we just come inside for a minute so that Agent Wells here can explain everything? There really is an explanation you should hear," Myka said. It was the combination of the badge and the calmness in Myka's voice that convinced the woman to comply. She ushered the women into the living room where she stood waiting.

"Mrs. Kerrigan, I am totally responsible for what happened last night. It was a case of mistaken identity. I thought your husband was in fact, someone else. I received the wrong information and am afraid to say, failed to verify it. I went to your husband's office with the intent of ….," and the word stuck in HG's throat. Now was not the time to admit that she wanted to seduce the man. Not in front of his lover or hers.

"Tell Mrs. Kerrigan what your intent was, Agent Wells," Myka prodded HG on purpose. Helena was beginning to think Myka just might be enjoying this.

"My intent, Mrs. Kerrigan, was retribution for an egregious act I believed Mr. Kerrigan to be guilty of when in fact, he was not the person," Helena said.

"You wanted to punish him for something by kissing him?" the wife asked incredulously.

"Actually madam, he was not even conscious when I did that," HG said truthfully and the wife looked at her confused.

"I had knocked him out," HG said casting her eyes elsewhere.

"Was that the bump on his head?" Mrs. Kerrigan asked.

"I'm afraid so," Helena said. "It was all an awful mistake and I have spoken to your husband and made my deep felt apologies. I feel awful about this," HG admitted but didn't share that it was the groveling that was most displeasing to her.

Myka could see the wife start to waiver. "If it's any consolation to you, Mrs. Kerrigan, Agent Wells is in a similar predicament with her partner."

It was the first thing that seemed to interest the spouse.

"Really? I bet he's none too happy that you go around kissing strangers," she asserted. She was looking right at Helena but it was Myka who answered.

"No ma'am. None too happy. And may I say her partner is not as understanding as you appear to be, Mrs. Kerrigan. Helena is in for a difficult time indeed," Myka said in such a friendly tone that the spouse smiled for the first time.

"I didn't really give Bill a chance to explain," she said to Myka and HG rolled her eyes.

"We would appreciate it, Mrs. Kerrigan, if you would accept Agent Wells' deepest apology. She is truly sorry for the trouble she caused, " Myka filled in for HG.

"Very," Helena said as if on cue.

"She's asked your husband to take on her account at work as a gesture of her repentance. It's a sizable estate," Myka shared and HG didn't care for the fact that her personal business was being tossed around so casually.

"I wouldn't think federal agents have a lot of money," Mrs. Kerrigan commented.

"She had another job before joining us," Myka said smiling. "Thank you so much, Mrs. Kerrigan for allowing Helena to explain this awful mess she made. I do hope you can accept her apology," Myka said because she sense Helena's patience was as close to empty as she could get.

"Well, I was a little hard on Bill. I will call him at the office," the woman said.

"That's wonderful, isn't it Helena?" Myka said staring directly at her with a '_do not say anything but yes_' tone in her voice.

"Yes, thank you Mrs. Kerrigan," Helena said getting Myka's tone completely.

"I hope your partner gives you a chance," the spouse said to Helena.

"Well, we can only hope…for Helena's sake," Myka said feigning sincerity and Helena smiled uncomfortably.

"Well that went well I think," Myka said cheerfully as she got in the car. Helena was happy that she was two thirds done with her assigned task but was not feeling too settled about Myka knowing all the details.

"Yes," Helena said rubbing her jaw even though the sting had subsided. "Thank you for your help, Myka," HG said.

"You're welcome, Helena," Myka said back but didn't give in to that nagging feeling of instantly forgiving her anything.

* * *

><p>The next stop was the office of the Family Values Foundation. Myka's badge gave them easy access to the woman who had asked for Bill Kerrigan's resignation. Helena once again explained that it was a case of mistaken identity and it was all her fault. The woman said she understood but that the scandal reflected poorly on Mr. Kerrigan and she did not want the organization tainted by that fact. Helena was losing patience with not being taken at her word by everyone the first go round. She didn't often take well to having to explain things more than once. And now, she had to worry what was in store for her with Myka.<p>

"I appreciate that you are taking responsibility, Agent Wells but I am concerned what the fall out of last night's scene will be," the Chair said frustrating Helena.

"Oh bloody ….," she started but was cut off by her partner.

"To show how sincerely sorry she is, Agent Wells would like to make a sizeable donation to your cause," Myka said quickly. Now both women now swung their heads to look at her.

"Isn't that right, Agent Wells?" Myka said putting it back on HG.

"I would be thrilled….," HG said sarcastically until Myka kicked her under the table and Helena immediately changed her tone to sound more authentic.

"Well, we appreciate your donation, Agent Wells but I worry someone might misconstrue that as a bribe to take Bill Kerrigan back," the woman pointed out thwarting the plan.

"That's true, Helena," Myka agreed as if it had been HG's idea. Helena was losing patience with this woman.

"Listen, a nun's life is at stake!" she blurted out and now both women looked at her. "I mean, I have such faith in Mr. Kerrigan, that I've asked him to oversee my estate. I will make the donation regardless of your decision but please understand, I was at fault here, not Mr. Kerrigan. I've spoken to his wife and even she is taking him back," HG said rubbing her ankle.

"Isn't forgiveness a family value?" HG asked the woman thinking it was a stroke of genius because Myka was right there to hear the question.

"Well, I guess we could reconsider Bill's position seeing how you feel it was your fault entirely," the woman said and HG shot up from her seat.

"Well, thank you very much for your time," HG said shaking the woman's hand and surprising her at her hasty retreat. "I'll have Bill contact you about the check," HG said as she left the room. Myka smiled at the woman and thanked her again.

They didn't speak until they were back in the car.

"That's it. I'm done. I completed my mission," HG said exhausted.

There was uneasiness between them as they boarded the plane. Myka didn't care for the way in which Helena had conducted herself. Would she use her gift of seduction on anyone to get what she wanted? Hadn't she used it on the gardener to get a tea garden built?

Helena sat there mulling over Myka's reaction. Why was she so upset? She made a move on someone because she had to gain his trust. It wasn't like she seduced a love interest. Why was Myka so unreasonable?

* * *

><p>When they arrived home, neither had said much of anything. Helena wanted to talk to Myka but had her fill of groveling for one day, hell for a life time. Myka needed to sort her feelings out and that was never an easy task when she was sitting close to Helena. Her mere presence could cloud Myka's impeccable logical thoughts.<p>

Mrs. Frederic was waiting for them in the living room.

"Did you accomplish what you were sent out to do, Agent Wells?" she asked and HG smirked because she knew this woman would be the first to know if she did or didn't. She quickly bit her lip and changed her expression.

"Yes," she answered.

"Thank you Agent Bering for accompanying Agent Wells. I'm sure your presence brought a certain calmness to the resolutions," Mrs. Frederic stated.

"So I take it I do not have to go tracking down nuns now?" HG asked unable to hold back on her frustration.

Mrs. Frederic just stared her down until Helena broke contact first.

"Agent Wells did a great job," Myka said thoughtfully but Mrs. Frederic seemed unimpressed and that annoyed Helena.

"You see Agent Bering, the question is not how Agent Wells performed," Mrs. Frederic said slowly. "The question is did she learn anything from it."

"Oh, we're about to find that out," Myka said but her boss had already left the room.

For the first time that Helena could remember, she was sorry to see Mrs. Frederic leave.

* * *

><p>Almost there - thanks for coming along through these chapters.<br>As always - I appreciate your comments.


	19. The Olive Branch

**Chapter 19 The Olive Branch**

"I have given your actions of this past week a lot of thought, Helena," Myka said calmly but there was nothing calming about those words to HG.

"Oh really?" HG asked stalling for time.

"Yes really and there seems to be a consistent pattern that I have noticed," Myka said.

"And what would that be?" HG asked but didn't really want to know.

"That you will do whatever it takes to get what you want," Myka answered and at first, it didn't sound all that unreasonable to Helena. In fact, it did describe her to a tee.

"Well, yes but you must ….," HG started to say but Myka continued.

"You seduced the gardener in order to build a tea garden," Myka said.

"For you…," HG added.

"You seduced an entire lacrosse team of young boys to do your work for you," Myka listed next.

"Really, darling it was _yard work_," Helena said with distaste as if that explained it.

"And you seduced a man because you wanted to exact revenge on him," Myka finished with.

"Again … for you," HG said in her defense. "I believe the _consistent pattern_ that you should see here Myka is that I have done these things for you."

And if Helena had practiced saying that line with the most innocent look in her eyes, she could not have done it better. Helena Wells was nothing short of brilliant and she had already figured out that she would not be able to explain her way out of this so she better try charm. What Helena lacked in humility, she more than made up for in that feature. The very charisma that worked on strangers was even more potent with those who knew her. She knew she had only to invade Myka's personal space. She could work at a distance but noted that the closer she was, the more effective she was.

"Hey you guys are back? How was Colorado?" Claudia asked interrupting what was taking place in the living room.

"It went well, all things considered," Myka reported.

"Hey, HG we're going out for Chinese, you want us to bring you back anything?" Pete asked because he already knew the Brit had not acquired a taste for it just yet.

"No thank you, Pete. I dare say I am not over the shock of sesame noodles from the last time," HG said and Pete laughed remembering the face she made.

"Myka? A little goo-goo mai pan?" Pete asked.

"It's moo goo gai pan, Pete," Claudia corrected him and it explained why they never got the food they ordered. Myka politely refused. She was drained from the day and wanted nothing more than I hot bath and bed. After she was done with Helena.

The three agents' exit was a diversion for Helena as she assumed it had been for Myka.

"I think I will attempt to make some tea. Can I get you a cup? It is good for what ails you they say," Helena said in all too cheery a voice.

"We're not done here, Helena," Myka said, her words popping HG's bubble of thinking they were.

"But darling, I think if you look back over what I did, you will see that I was acting out of your best interest. I wanted to get the gardener to build a tea garden so I befriended him. I got into a bit of trouble over that and befriended a group of able body men to help me with some menial yard work and then I befriended the man I thought was responsible for ruining your prom so that I could, well pay him back," Helena said slowly as she moved into closer to Myka and played with the ends of curls.

Myka Bering knew exactly what her friend was doing. She knew that Helena would try to beguile her way out of this and at the very least, turn it around to appear that she was in fact, doing all of this for Myka's benefit. If anyone could sell that story or ice to Eskimos in a blizzard – it was HG Wells.

"Go make your tea," was what Myka decided on saying.

It was not the sendoff Helena wanted. She wanted the '_I forgive you because I realize you were only doing that for me'_ tone in Myka's voice. Instead she heard, '_we're not done with this_' tone. When HG returned with her tea, Myka was nowhere to be found.

* * *

><p>Helena sat on the couch, contemplating what she should do. Perhaps it was the dual relationship of partner and friend that presented such a burden to Myka. Maybe she could accept Helena's actions in the context of her job but surely it would be harder to accept such behavior as her soul mate. This insight prompted the Brit to consider that even though her intentions were good; her actions might need an apology. She would go upstairs now and explain all of this to Myka and share her new perspective. Myka Bering was nothing if not level headed. Helena knew her way around Myka and she would appeal to her rational nature. HG finished her tea, confident that she was on the verge of a détente.<p>

Myka's quiet moment alone upstairs was the antithesis of Helena's calm solitude of revelation. Her emotions were all over the place as she tried to see this for the reality it was. Yes, HG had acted out of wanting to do something for Myka but did that mean she could do it any way she wanted? Yet, if she was just her partner and needed to extract information, Myka felt confident that HG was very skilled at doing it_. She was acting,_ Myka told herself. She was purposely being seductive with Jake, the lacrosse team and even Bill Kerrigan to get something or get at something.

Wait; wasn't that the same thing she did to Pete the very first time they all met? And then she stroked Myka's hand not two minutes later when she was handcuffed? The more Myka thought about it the broader the pattern became. This was exactly the same thing she did to Myka when she wanted something or wanted her! Suddenly, this train of thought derailed Myka's logic and now it sounded as if Helena was using techniques she perfected in her job to use on Myka. She had just tried to do it downstairs. She was going to play Myka to get out of the discussion Myka had promised her they would have.

As Helena ascended the stairs to make peace, Myka was busy deciding her strategy to win this battle of wills. She knew her defenses and her weaknesses. The closer HG got, the more she messed up her plan. So she would have to strike quickly if this was a discussion she wanted to win.

She would tell Helena that she needed assurance that these vicarious acts of seduction were only a means to an end and were not based on any true affection.

As Helena was about to knock on the door, Myka swung it opened. Both were startled and neither moved. But in the instant, Myka thought she saw the slightest smile come across Helena's face and pounced. All the logic and common sense that Myka had rehearsed went out the window. Her brain told her one thing; she wanted, no _needed_ to know that Helena was hers.

"I came to…..," Helena started but stopped when she was pulled into the room by her lapel.

Myka's speech about love and wants and needs stuck in her throat. She was not an _emotionolgist_ by nature and she needed far more rehearsal than the one in her head from a few minutes ago.

"You….," she got out and Helena stood there waiting with eyebrows raised and head leaning forward.

'_You can do it, Myka_,' she thought she heard her own voice say in her head.

'I will …," she started again but she lost the rest of the sentence. Helena smiled a little, still waiting.

"Yes, Myka?" she said and Myka panicked.

Helena could form sentences and she couldn't? She stood there, eyes narrowed on HG and she drew deep breaths trying to find her words, thoughts or anything that resembled intelligent life. She was going to have to rely on gut instinct. And what did Myka Bering, highly trained Secret Service Agent do when threatened? She knocked Helena backwards onto the bed. It was Myka's subconscious way of making sure HG did not have the upper hand from the get-go!

"OK…," Helena said when she found herself lying on the bed. The peace offering was going to have to wait a minute until she figured out what the hell was going on.

Myka searched her brain for the words that would describe her mix of emotions to Helena. But Myka had retained more facts from history books than romance novels and so this is what came out.

"Helena, I think you have your history wrong. You cannot repossess that which has already declared its independence. I come from a long line of people who fought so others could have the pursuit of happiness," Myka blathered.

"I thought you came from Colorado?" Helena said confused.

"I mean the colonists!" Myka said indignantly referring back to Helena's play on words.

"Myka, your family was in Ireland …," HG said but recoiled when she saw she was dealing with a mad woman.

"Yes and even back then you, Helena G. Wells were messing with their heads," Myka declared so off track now she couldn't get back.

"Ah, yes the Connolly's," Helena said trying to make some sense out of this diatribe. "Myka, darling have you been drinking?" was all she could think to ask because of Myka's state.

"What?" Myka yelled insulted that Helena could not follow her rant and insinuating that she had to be under the influence. Helena's calmness was really getting on Myka's nerve because Myka felt she was losing it.

"I am done talking to you…," Myka started and Helena thought to herself, '_Well, thank God for that_,' but didn't say it out loud.

And then Myka made her worst move. She moved at Helena on the bed and straddled her in a pure animal instinct gesture of dominance. But this position meant she was touching Helena, looking down into those eyes that engulfed Myka instantly. Helena did everything but expose her own neck in submission. If this is what Myka needed to do, she would go along. Actually, she thought '_tough Myka'_ was pretty sexy. But she knew Myka was lost and wavering under the confusion of never having done this. So Helena did what came naturally to her; she provoked.

"Give it your best shot, Myka," she said in a voice that mixed seduction with warning. It pushed Myka over the edge.

She grabbed both sides of Helena's head with her hands tightly and leaned down and kissed her. Not gently like before but rough with hunger. She pressed into Helena's lips and forced her tongue into her mouth. When she couldn't breathe, she pulled back. The look of confusion in Myka's eyes had been replaced by a predatory stare. Helena swore Myka's eyes were a different shade of green as she leaned into her ear and kissed her jaw. Even the small bites Myka placed on Helena's shoulders and then her neck were not tame. Helena understood exactly what Myka was doing. She was following her primal instincts – ones that predated even her ancestors in Ireland – and claiming Helena for her own. Helena would do everything in her power to surrender.

The air filled with the urgency not just of their needs but of their wanting to be connected, with each other and in each other. They collapsed after that passion joined them and brought them both to an explosive release of pent up energies and longings. For the first time in Myka's life, she went after what she wanted and took it without first asking permission. She trusted her instincts that this was the right thing for both of them and took charge. Helena could not have been more delighted.

* * *

><p>Will wrap it up soon!<p> 


	20. Can't See the Forest For the Trees

I'll apologize up front - this chapter went off track a bit but it just kept going that way, so I allowed it.  
>You can practically skip it - not sure it really adds much but it just happened.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 20 Can't See the Forest For the Trees<strong>

Helena woke up in Myka's arms in the morning. Myka was already awake and was simply lying there feeling Helena's slowly breathing against her. HG moved in closer and moaned – exhausted and renewed at the same time.

"Good morning, your Highness," Myka said softly.

"I believe I lost the colonies last night, Myka," HG said playfully.

"Yes, I believe you did, "Myka laughed. "But you gained a very powerful ally."

"Small consolation when I could have reigned over Disney World," HG pouted.

"That place is already crawling with princesses and queens," Myka replied.

Helena lay back on the pillow. She was very happy with the way things had worked out. Myka seemed at peace and that was what mattered to Helena.

"I was on my way up here last night to offer my apology for my behavior, Myka. I know my ways are sometimes disconcerting to you," HG said and Myka moved in closer.

"Thank you, Helena," Myka said.

"And I did make a mess of things in Colorado, so I apologize for that, too. But I dare say we patched things up rather well, don't you think?" HG said positively.

"Yes, we make a good team, Helena," Myka said and meant it.

"_Wells and Bering_. I rather like the sound of that," Helena smiled.

"Then you will really like the sound of _Bering and Wells_," Myka teased.

"Can I ask you a question?" HG asked as she arose to get ready for the day ahead.

"Anything," Myka said doing the same.

"Who are Randal Walker, Mary Anne Littman and Sister Mary Elizabeth? Helena asked.

"Well let's see, Randal was a kid I knew in fifth grade I think it was. He was the sweetest kid. Carried my books home from school every day until he moved away. Mary Anne was my roommate at college the first year. We still exchange Christmas cards. And Sister Mary Elizabeth – wow – I haven't thought about her in a long time. She was the teacher who told me I could do anything I wanted," Myka said reflecting back.

"Pardon? Randal didn't spill milk on you on purpose?" HG asked confused.

"No, Helena how do you even know these names?" Myka asked.

"Mary Anne never stole your biology notes?" HG asked in rapid succession.

"Helena? Stole my notes? No, we were good friends. Did you dream all of this?" Myka asked and noticed how agitated Helena was.

"And let me guess. The nun never accused you of cheating and gave you a zero?" Helena asked aghast.

"Accused me of cheating?" Myka asked barely able to say the word let alone grasp the concept.

"Grrrrr," Helena responded when she put this all together.

"Helena, what kind of dream did you have?" Myka asked confused by her questions.

"It wasn't a dream, Myka. Well, it might have been a dream. Blasted, where is that woman?" HG yelled as she got out of bed.

"Helena, you're not making sense and now you're going to wake up the whole house," Myka cautioned her.

Helena grabbed her clothes and pulled on her boots. "No, Myka this is not acceptable," HG said loudly. "She made me think …. Well, never mind."

Myka jumped up and threw on her clothes. Helena was already down the stairs and Myka tried to catch up. She pushed the hair out of her face and finished buttoning her blouse as she watched Helena walk through the rooms as if searching for something or someone.

"She shows up whenever it's convenient for her but when you need her, she's not here. I swear the woman can vaporize on command, Myka," HG ranted.

"Helena, are you talking about …," Myka said in a low voice and slowly looked around.

"Yes I am! Played me like a fool. Well, I won't stand for it," Helena said again.

Myka wasn't sure what Helena was talking about but she grew very concerned that she was about to unleash her annoyance at her boss. At her boss' boss.

"Helena, I'm pretty sure this is against a hundred and sixty three rules in the Agents' Manual, so please calm down," Myka cautioned as she followed Helena back into the living room.

There was no one there but the two of them although Myka was certain HG had managed to wake up the house. She could hear doors banging upstairs signaling that their friends would be joining them soon.

"Mrs. Frederic!" Helena called out directly and now Myka grabbed HG's arm.

"What are you doing?" she asked the Brit concerned.

"What does it look like I'm doing? I need to speak to that woman!" HG said and Myka stared at her as if she had lost all her senses.

"_That woman_? We'll go for the insanity defense," Myka said out loud thinking how she would help HG out of this.

"I am not insane! That woman invaded my dreams, Myka. Planted names in my brain and told me they did things to you and that if I did not come back from Colorado successful, I would have to track down those there people and set them straight!" HG revealed.

Myka tried to get what Helena was saying. It was very odd that she would know those names. Myka couldn't remember ever mentioning them. Yet she did have the stories all wrong but to jump to the conclusion that Mrs. Frederic had anything to do with it was what Myka could not figure out.

Helena tried to remain calm. She knew this wasn't a good idea but she was getting riled up by the minute. What she didn't share with Myka was the real reason she was upset. If she had failed in Colorado, and Mrs. Frederic sent her out on this trumped up assignment, would she have sent her to Myka's father first? And what would she have done when she got there? And what would Myka say when Helena showed up at her father's door?

"Hel, I think we need to think this one through before …..," Myka said taking a deep breath.

"When I see that woman…," Helene said and Myka cut her off.

"Helena! Maybe she had her reasons. _That woman_ is your boss," Myka said in a low but stern voice.

"I know that! I will be respectful, Myka. But she will treat me like I am a neophyte who needs to be taught a lesson," HG ranted and now she noticed the change of expression of Myka's face to one of great concern.

Helena would have figured out on her own that Mrs. Frederic was there had she noticed the sudden drop in temperature in the room. It was very cold.

"Agent Wells?" Mrs. Frederic said and Helena turned to face her boss, arms crossed over her chest.

Pete and Claudia were now in the doorway, having been woken up by the commotion.

"What is all the fracking noise about?" Claudia asked before she noticed who was present.

"My bad. Frack away," she said as she made her way past them into the kitchen.

"Hey, Mrs. F, you're kinda early, aren't you?" Pete asked thinking she was there for the meeting.

"I have been _summoned_ here, Mr. Lattimer," the Sage said none too friendly. Pete looked around.

"Who in their right mind would summon you? I mean so early before you had your Wheaties I mean?" he stammered as he realized the expression on her face.

"I am here because Agent Wells demanded to see me, isn't that right?" Mrs. Frederic said looking back at Helena.

"Yes," Helena said unfazed by the fact that she was the only one in the room not concerned about the tone in her boss' voice.

"Myka? _Icksnay on the emanderay el bossay_," Pete said in the worse version of Pig Latin ever invented. But Myka got the gist. Even Pete knew you never _demanded_ to see Mrs. Frederic and he never picked up the Agents' Manual. Everyone just knew this.

"Helena, maybe you want to think about what you wanted to discuss with Mrs. Frederic," Myka strongly suggested.

"I do not need to think about it. I have already thought about it. You were going to play me for a fool, Mrs. Frederic and I will not stand for it," Helena said.

The silence that followed was deafening. Pete was afraid to move. Myka stopped breathing. Both waited for Helena to spontaneously combust.

"Agent Bering, Agent Lattimer would you give me a moment alone with Agent Wells?" the Warehouse Keeper said slowly and Myka's heart constricted with panic.

"Maybe I should stay?" Myka said but bit her lip and followed Pete out of the room when Mrs. Frederic's expression told her no.

Helena was not worried. She did not possess the innate sense that she should be intimidated in this woman's presence. She respected her but now that was in question because of what she had done.

"I think we should take a walk, Agent Wells," Mrs. Frederic said and from the other room Pete whispered to Myka, 'She's going to dump her body in the woods."

* * *

><p>Helena didn't move until Mrs. Frederic led the way out. She followed the woman down the stairs and trailed behind her as she walked into the back yard.<p>

"Where would you like to begin your lesson, Helena?" Mrs. Frederic asked when she stopped in the middle of the property.

"My what?" Helena said feeling she had been very patient already.

"Your lesson. Where would you like to begin?" the woman repeated calmly.

"Madam, I have no idea what you are talking about I am sorry to say," HG started.

"I am sorry, too," the Sage stated exhaling.

"I wanted to discuss how you threatened to send me on a wild goose chase that would have resulted in making Myka very angry at me," Helena started. "None of those people you spoke to me about ever did anything to Myka. You would have sent me to see a nun who was nothing but kind to Myka? To what end?" Helena demanded.

"To teach you that you cannot appoint yourself someone else's guardian," Mrs. Frederic said and continued walking.

"But you gave me wrong information. You misled me," HG protested.

"Yes, that would have been unfortunate. Checking one's information is critical," the Keeper stated and HG missed the point.

"Why would you want me to do that?" HG asked following her boss as she walked.

"You put yourself on that path, Agent Wells. I was just going to help you make the most of it."

"You told me that Myka felt betrayed by her father. Suppose I had gone to see him? Myka would be so upset with me," HG said getting to the heart of her anger.

"I wanted you to learn that when you take on the task of righting the wrongs of someone's life as you did, you have your work cut out for you," the Sage shared.

"So you were never really going to send me?" HG asked.

"No, if you had not cleaned up your mess in Colorado, you were going," the woman confirmed and HG growled.

"Why would you do that?" HG asked.

"To teach you what you so sorely need to learn, of course," her boss said calmly.

"Patience?" HG said impatiently, taking a stab in the dark.

"Humility, Helena. I would have sent you on as assignment that would have no doubt resulted in your failure," she pointed out. "Our failures can be our greatest teachers if we let them."

"But it would have hurt Myka!" HG pointed out the obvious.

"Our failures often do hurt those around us," Mrs. Frederic pointed out.

"Well, I have apologized to Myka for my recent debacles," HG pointed out with a '_thank you very much'_ tone to her voice.

"Ah, yes that is a good start, " her boss said and her words gave HG pause.

"And I resolved the issues with Mr. Kerrigan," HG added.

"Yes, with Myka's help," Mrs. Frederic knowingly. "This is why I didn't send you on the '_wild goose chase_' as you called it. Perhaps it served as your motivation."

"Did you want me to fail?" Helena asked trying to grasp what the message was.

"What I want is not important. Failing is a part of the human condition, Helena. I was just going to speed things up for you if you needed it," Mrs. Frederic said.

They reached the tea garden where the older woman stopped and looked around.

"You had this built for Myka?" the older woman inquired.

"Yes," Helena said.

"You have a way of getting what you want, Agent Wells," she said and HG couldn't tell if she meant that as a positive or negative.

"Don't you want me to be the best agent I can be? I have to be confident and sure of myself. I fear you are trying to teach me humiliation," HG said.

"You are confusing humility with humiliation, Agent Wells," Mrs. Frederic pointed out and started to think this was taking longer than she planned.

'Well, I would have been humiliated if I showed up at Myka's father's door and accused him of betraying his daughter when he had never done that," HG said firmly.

"Yes perhaps - but you would surely have learned humility when you had to tell Myka what you had done," her boss pointed out.

They continued their talk until Mrs. Frederic felt she had given Helena enough to think about. "You are no longer alone in the world, Helena," was her final thought.

* * *

><p>Everyone was seated around the dining room table for the morning meeting but no one was really saying anything. Even Artie, who had the assignments set up for the day didn't talk. Everyone was too anxious about what was happening outside. Even Leena stood watch out the back window pretending to be busy by washing the same three dishes over and over again. "She's coming!" she finally yelled to the others but they all worried that she meant Mrs. Frederic and not Helena.<p>

"I told you she'd leave the body in the woods. Never upset your boss and then go for a stroll in a wooded area. That's like Agent No No's 101," Pete said.

"Geez, do you really think Mrs. F would hurt HG?" Claudia asked with concern.

"Did you see the look on her face?" Pete reminded her.

Myka jumped up from the table. She wasn't sure what she was going to do but if Mrs. Frederic walked through the door alone, she would have to do something. She was quite relieved to see Helena walking into the dining room. Then she panicked all over again.

"Helena? What did you do with Mrs. Frederic?" she blurted out.

"Pardon? Oh she left out the front," HG said explaining why she was alone.

There was a collective sigh of relief and everyone took their seats. Artie had picked up his phone when a call came in and was just hanging up.

"Well, Agent Wells, Mrs. Frederic tells me you'll be relabeling the entire music section at the Warehouse," Artie said.

"But dude, we just completed that," Claudia said because she had originally thought it was a really cool assignment to label every recording there ever was until she reached her 1,500th album and it got tedious.

"Yes, well apparently the labels disappeared overnight and Mrs. Frederic wants Agent Wells to redo them all by herself," Artie said suspicious of how all those labels could simply vanish. If asked, he would have said Mrs. Frederic did it on purpose but he didn't volunteer that insight.

"I am to learn to be more humble," Helena said trying to explain the assignment.

"Oooh," came the collective response.

"And when you are done, you will clean up the neutralizer machines," he said reading from a note he made while he was talking to his boss.

"More humility?" Pete asked because no one wanted that job. It was gooey and messy and disgusting down there.

"No, apparently you earned that assignment for pissing her off, Agent Wells. Way to go," Artie said.

"Bloody hell," HG said thinking she had escaped that. Myka was grateful it was only that.

The agents readied for work but Myka stayed back to talk to Helena.

"Are you OK?" she asked.

"Yes, apparently Mrs. Frederic feels my self-confidence borders on hubris and I am to be the beneficiary of her desire to make me a better agent by helping me to learn some basic virtues she has determined to be resourceful," HG said.

"So she's taking you down a peg?" Myka translated into English.

"Yes and in the process she is affording me the opportunity to gain insight into her likes and dislikes," HG said glibly.

"Lucky you! What have you learned so far?" Myka asked with '_Oh poor Helena written all over her face'_.

"She does not like to be summoned!" HG conceded.

* * *

><p>Confused? I know - I kept going over this chapter but this is the way it went.<br>Hmmm... whatever does that say!


	21. STICKy Situation

**Chapter 21 Sticky Situation**

Myka walked Helena to the music section of the Warehouse. There were rows and rows of vinyls and CD recordings that needed to be labeled and put into the computer – again.

"And on _that note,_ you've got your work cut out for yourself," Pete told Helena much to her chagrin.

"Think of it was a learning adventure," Myka told her putting the positive spin on it. "You're about to embark on the history of mankind's soul as expressed through music," she said and HG liked that.

"Hey, HG – wait until you get to the early 1960's and the _British Invasion_," Claudia said hoping that would interest her.

"I rather like the sound of _British Invasion_ indeed," the Brit said smiling and pushed closer to Myka on purpose to make sure she got the true meaning of HG's interpretation.

"She means the Beatles, Helena," Myka said trying not to blush.

"Sounds more like an infestation that invasion," HG noted.

Now Myka stood there as Helena looked at the massive collection. "Oh bloody hell," was what she said when she realized how long this might take.

"Helena, I think Mrs. Frederic is trying to be ….. creative ….in helping you to …," and Myka smiled uncomfortably. No matter what spin she put on it, she knew and HG knew that Mrs. Frederic thought HG could be too strong headed for her own good.

"I think she really cares," Myka summed it up. Helena loved how Myka always wanted to make lemonade out of lemons.

"I dare say she's practically in love with me after giving me this assignment," HG said putting her own spin on it.

Myka laughed as she left her partner to start on her task at hand and heard HG say to herself; "Right- e-o- then," as she began.

* * *

><p>By the end of the day, Helena had labeled only a fraction of what she had hoped to. She started to read the notes on the album covers and was entranced by the development of the compilations. Mrs. Frederic could not have been more pleased that Helena was learning and not just completing a task. She understood the depth of Helena's talents and had a great many plans for the Inventor, but she had much to learn before that could happen.<p>

She was tempted not to follow through on her second assignment for Helena but cautioned herself not to fall into the trap that she witnessed Myka often falling into.

If anyone could get through to Helena and teach her the finer arts of being an agent, it was Myka Bering. Myka was the crème de la crème when it came to agents; methodical, logical, intelligent, dedicated with wonderful people skills. She had been handpicked by Mrs. Frederic and destined to experience her own greatness. In fact, Mrs. Frederic often thought she had only one concern about Myka Bering and that was Helena Wells. Though they worked well together, Mrs. Frederic often saw the effect Helena had on Myka. She never worried that Myka wouldn't learn to compensate for it on the job at least. Off the job was another story and Mrs. Frederic knew it was a delicate line with just how far her jurisdiction went into the agents' personal lives. Helena had already proven that she would take matters into her own hands if she deemed it necessary to take care of something for Myka. That worried the Sage.

* * *

><p>Myka finished up her inventory and returned to the music aisle at the end of the day. "How did your immersion into music go, Helena?" she asked.<p>

"It was interesting. I knew a great deal of the old ones, of course and I haven't yet arrived at the era of moving stones," HG informed Myka. That took Myka a minute.

"You mean '_rock and roll'_? Myka deciphered.

"Oh, yes I suppose that's what Claudia called it," HG said unfazed.

The agents walked back to the office where their fellow agents were. Pete was in a hurry to leave because tonight was Leena's pot roast night and he was starving. It was only then that Artie reminded HG that she was still on the job and had to report to the neutralizer room to commence cleanup.

"I thought that was after she finished the music aisle?" Myka spoke on her behalf.

"Well, Mrs. Frederic says tonight so tonight it shall be," Artie said matter of factly.

"OK HG, we'll save you some but we gotta go," Pete said because nothing stood between him and Leena's pot roast.

"Maybe I could help you?" Myka offered but Artie answered that question.

"Myka, I wish we could all stay and help Agent Wells, really," he said - boldly lying, "But Mrs. F wants HG to go solo. She told me," he added.

Helena sighed and shrugged her shoulders. "Perhaps if she shows up, I could charm my way to getting home early," HG said and Myka smiled and then stopped. HG misunderstood her expression. "You don't think Mrs. Frederic can be charmed?" HG said.

"HG, no!" Claudia tried to help her friend.

"Oh, come on now ladies. Surely, something must get through that tough exterior of a shell she dons. I have been known to be quite convincing when I set my mind to it," HG teased back but was speaking truthfully.

"Agent Wells, I think you should …," Artie attempted to caution her.

"Artie, I did the assignment as she asked and I will continue to do so until it is complete. But truly even you know that having me clean up the neutralizer machines is a tad over board. I hope I have the opportunity to persuade Her Ladyship that she's been a bit fervent in doubling up on my tasks," HG said as her well thought out plan. She heard Myka whimper and turned to see what that expression was on her face.

"Oh, I think you're about to have it, Agent Wells," Artie said with his head bent down.

Helena sensed it. She pushed the confusion aside and took in the mood of the room. She frowned when she put it all together. She turned quickly to see….… _no one_.

Her fellow agents broke out in a collective laughter that filled the room.

"Oh, HG we so got you. No really, dude the expression on your face. You're afraid of the old keeper," Claudia said and then immediately got straight faced. "I mean old as in wise and learned. Yeah, experienced. That's what I meant. Let's go Pete," she said afraid her boss would appear for real.

"That was a good one," Artie said and practically cracked an entire smile.

"Now that was almost worth getting home a little late," Pete said.

Myka was laughing but now felt just the slightest bit of guilt for playing the trick on Helena. No one planned it, it was just a group thing that they all picked up on and each one did their part to pull it off.

Helena did not completely understand pranks or jokes and often dismissed it as part of the American sense of humor she found lacking in originality, depth and most importantly, humor. The one thing she did get was that Myka had partaken in it.

"Oh, I get it. I am the recipient of the communal jest in an effort to what end I don't quite understand," HG said explaining how she didn't really get it.

"It's all in fun, Helena. Team building camaraderie stuff," Myka said sheepishly.

"Well, I am happy I could provide you with the substance for such an exercise," HG said smiling but looking directly at Myka. Only Myka got that HG was not really speaking her true feelings.

"You know, Helena it's all in fun. Teasing is a sign of affection," Myka practically squeaked hoping Helena would see this for what it was and not feel like they had ganged up on her.

"Oh, so now teasing is a sign of affection, is it?" HG said mockingly. And as the others made their way to the umbilicus, Helena moved in close to Myka.

"I hope you remember that trumped up definition later, Agent Bering when I bring my teasing to a new height," HG smiled devilishly.

"Now what is that expression that Claudia uses to explain what retribution is like? Payback is a …?" the Brit asked confident she had made Myka just the slightest bit nervous.

Myka tried to act all cool about it but she knew Helena was not someone you toyed with and sensed that maybe she would bear the brunt of the group's joke later in a matter to be determined by HG.

"Be careful down there, " is what Myka said as she left to join the others on the trip home. "Don't forget to check all the valves before you leave. I'll come back for you later, OK? "

"I look forward to it," HG said as she stayed behind.

* * *

><p>She felt Myka's absence immediately but smiled to think that could happen in so vast a space as the Warehouse. She went down to the neutralizer room and put on her protective gloves and set out to do her job.<p>

Neutralizer goo had to be kept at a certain temperature otherwise it would lose its viscosity. When it collected outside the tubes through small leaks or spills, it became hard and had to be chipped away. Helena was familiar with the process because everyone had to know what to do in an emergency. This purple stuff was the first line of defense in the Warehouse.

Helena hummed as she checked the computer in the room which registered the multiple neutralizer hoses located throughout the Warehouse. All systems checked out fine; all the pipes were loaded to capacity. Then HG started to chip away at the dried up neutralizer that could possible cause jams. This was a room that HG was usually quite comfortable in as she loved being surrounded by machinery. One of the first things she did when she got here was to review all of the mechanicals for this operation to see if she could improve upon it. Artie appreciated her enthusiasm but found it annoying that she took it upon herself to give out assignments – to herself.

Helena kept Myka's optimistic words in mind and tried to think of this as a learning experience but it wore thin the longer Helena chipped away. She heard the familiar beep of a text coming in and stopped to get her phone.

'_How is it going_?' Myka asked. Helena thought about a lot of adjectives that would have described her feelings but she settled for – '_Well, and you_?' and sent it back. '_I miss you_,' came back Myka's response and that made HG smile. It also distracted her. This is why HG never noticed that she was leaning on the lever which sent more goo down to one of the hoses already at capacity. She did hear the alarm go off and jumped. She sized up the situation – excess neutralizer in the pipes had to be extracted.

'_Simple enough_,' she thought. She ran down to the aisle where the hose was over capacity. She put large containers on a dolly and wheeled them over to the tube. Opening the nozzle, Helena released the surplus into the containers. It filled four of them until the meter indicated it was at the right level.

"Disaster avoided!" HG said to herself proudly. "I dare say _she_ would not be happy if I spilled this all over," she said out loud.

Then she took out her phone to text Myka that she was almost done. Except her hands were slippery and the phone shot out of them and into the container. "Oh bloody hell, no!" HG yelled out but it was too late. The phone slowly started to sink into the vat of goo. HG had no choice but to stick her arm into it to retrieve it. Which meant pushing her left arm down into the container and allow the gunk to coat it. She slowly opened her fingers as her arm traveled into the vat and finally grabbed the phone. Pulling it up quickly, she spilled some of the neutralizer out onto the floor and the outside of the container. She pulled her shirt out of her pants and grabbed the end of it and wiped off her phone hoping the goop did not short it out. She was happy to see the light still on signaling a text from Myka. She wiped the phone on her pants so she could see the screen better and tried to wipe her glove off so she could respond to the text. But she moved just the slightest bit and her foot slipped in the purple stuff on the floor and sent her sailing into the containers. She reached out to break her fall but that was against one of the receptacles and the fall pushed it forward. "Oh bloody…" was all HG got out from her vantage point atop the fallen over container. Like dominos, the container she hit knocked over the other three and the contents spilled onto the floor. HG scrambled to get up and pull the vats back into place but the more she hurried, the faster she slipped. She knelt down into the puddle that was expanding and tried to pull it back toward her. She was on her knees, desperately trying to stop the goop from going any further down the aisle when she noticed what looked like a pair of shoes at the edge of the pool. Apparently, the spill had reached them and was covering the toes of the shoes.

'_How could a pair of shoes_….?' HG started to think until she realized someone was actually standing in them. Ever so slowly she raised her head to see Mrs. Frederic standing there.

"Everything OK here, Agent Wells?" the woman asked as if she weren't standing in the neutralizer.

Helena tried to stand up. "Mrs. Frederic," she said as she slipped back down. But the woman's arm reached out and held Helena under her arm. Her grip was gentle and yet Helena had the feeling her feet weren't quite touching the floor anymore. She pulled HG out of the muck onto the bare floor.

"Yes, everything is fine. Thank you," HG said unaware that she was now covered in the purple neutralizer. Mrs. Frederic raised her eyebrows at her.

"I mean, there was some excess in the hose up here so I came down to flush it out," Helena said looking at the mess behind her.

"You didn't ingest any of it, did you Agent Wells?" the Keeper asked slowly.

"No, I don't believe so," Helena said.

"Good, I don't need you hallucinating," she explained. "There is a reason we discourage cell phone use down here, Agent Wells," Mrs. Frederic said and HG knew she was caught.

"Yes," was all she could say as she stood there wet and guilty looking.

"I'll bring you the goo-vac and you can clean this up," Mrs. Frederic said walking away and then added, "And now you owe me a new pair of shoes, Agent Wells. Get something that will match _this tough exterior of a shell I'm wearing_," she added and you could hear HG gulp.

The Sage retrieved the vacuum for Helena who then cleaned up the mess. She was not surprised to find herself alone again as her boss rarely announced her arrivals or departures. Helena put everything back and checked the utility room before heading to the shower to wash off the neutralizer from herself. She had managed to get it everywhere. Twenty minutes later, she was all set to go home. Myka picked her up in the front of the Warehouse.

* * *

><p>"Are you in different clothes?" the eidetic memory agent asked.<p>

"Yes," HG answered.

"Everything OK in the Warehouse?" Myka asked just to be sure.

"Now it is," HG answered truthfully and wasn't going to say any more about it but decided she could use it in her favor.

"Actually, I had an accident with the neutralizer overloading into one of the hoses and I went down to the floor to expel the excess into some containers. But I went to text you and my phone slipped in and I retrieved it but spilled some of the goo. It got on the floor and I slipped," HG said.

"Are you OK? Did you get hurt?" Myka asked concerned.

"No, I'm fine, thank you darling. I can't say the same for Mrs. Frederic's shoes though," the Brit said.

"What? Her shoes? How..?" Myka asked all in one breath.

"I was busy trying to clean up the spillage and all of a sudden, there she was standing there at the edge of it. It had spilled out to the tip of her shoes. Although one wonders why she didn't simply move out of the way?" HG reflected.

"What did she say?" Myka asked worried that her boss had witnessed HG's accident.

"She said I owe her a pair of shoes," HG said thinking back to the last thing she heard and Myka burst out laughing.

"I simply do not understand what makes you laugh sometimes, Myka," the Brit said curiously.

"You don't think it's funny that you have to shop for a pair of shoes for the Keeper of the Warehouse? I mean, Helena, it's not like you can just go to Zappos and order them. I mean where will you begin to look?" Myka continued to laugh at her own joke but HG just stared at her.

"I shall look under '_sensible pumps'_, " HG said in all sincerity and Myka started to laugh even harder. There were many endearing qualities to Myka Bering Helena thought but her sense of humor lagged behind all the others.

By the time the agents arrived back at the B&B, Artie was on his way out.

"Nice job with the neutralizer, Agent Wells. Now someone has to babysit you tonight just in case you've ingested any of it," he said making sure she was up to speed on what he knew. Mrs. Frederic did not share that Helena did not think she ingested any.

'_How does she do that_?' Helena thought.

"Mrs. Frederic was on the Farnsworth, " he answered as if he could read her expression.

"There is no need for anyone….," HG stated but her quick brain halted her speech. "Well, I cannot say with certitude that I did not ingest any of the matter."

"Just great! Now we have to worry about you hallucinating all night?" Artie said but Myka was quick to volunteer for the job.

"I'll stay with her, Artie," Myka assured him and delighted Helena.

"Great then I'll have one agent out on sick leave and another out due to exhaustion," Artie said about the worst case scenario but knew he had no choice. Ingesting neutralizer could have some nasty side effects.

"I want to hear from both of you _first thing_ in the morning," he said as he left for the night.

"Well, maybe not the first thing…..," Helena said under her breath thinking other things would come up first, "….….but _eventually_."

And as she closed the door behind him, Helena put her plan to work.


	22. Delusions of Grandeur

**Chapter 22 Delusions of Grandeur**

Myka was more than willing to be with Helena all night, standing guard in case she fell ill to the supposed ingested neutralizer. Helena was certain none of it had found its way into her mouth but she wasn't about to share the detail yet. She ate the dinner Leena had saved for her and joined her agents in the living room.

"So what are you going to do Myka sit up all night and just stare at her?" Pete asked thinking it would be a long night for his friend.

"We could take shifts," Claudia piped up and HG did not like the sound of that and wondered how to refuse that idea. But it was Myka who saved her the trouble.

"No, I mean thanks guys. But it's no trouble. I'll … eh…sleep and just keep an eye on her," Myka said only now hearing the contradiction of her words.

"We could all sleep down here," Claudia suggested but Myka quickly pointed out how uncomfortable it would be.

"OK, Mykes but you come and get us if you want us to take over watching her," Pete said. Myka thanked them but truth be told, she was worried about HG and wanted to be right there if anything happened. Helena on the other hand had plans that only worked if Myka was there with her.

* * *

><p>"I learned a great many things today, Myka," HG said much to the delight of her senior agent who thought she was talking about work.<p>

"Like not texting in the Warehouse?" Myka teased her.

"More _affection_ darling?" HG asked making reference to Myka's earlier definition.

"Yes," Myka said sheepishly as Helena slowly moved up to her in the bed.

"I learned that the British apparently have made it a habit of invading you colonists," HG said slowly. "First by sea, then by land and then apparently by music. It would seem we simply cannot keep our hands off of you Americans," HG said into Myka's ear. _God, how that woman's accent turned Myka on_.

"Helena, I don't think this is such a good idea … because you could still be under the effect of the neutralizer," Myka said slowly.

"That's a chance I am more than willing to take, darling given how much I wish to express my _affection _for you," HG said back. Myka should have argued but HG was a skilled negotiator.

"OK, but remember I must stay awake in order to keep you safe. So seriously, Helena - do not exhaust me," Myka practically begged.

"Don't be silly, Myka. I'm not going to exhaust you. I'm only going to tease you," HG growled in her ear as she slowly made a trail down Myka's body.

An hour later, the proof that Helena had lied - lay in the bed next to her. She had more than exhausted her partner and she played with Myka's hair as she watched her sleep. She was quite pleased with herself.

* * *

><p>When light broke the next morning, Helena woke before her drained partner. She didn't want Myka to worry, so her plan was to pretend she was sleeping until Myka woke up. But the soft tapping on the door disrupted that plan. Helena slowly got out of bed to see who was insane enough to disturb her at this hour. She flung open the door, ready to growl when she was met with the hesitant look on Claudia's face.<p>

"Hey, HG, I was just checking to see if Myka needed me to come in…..," Claudia said surprised that it wasn't Myka at the door.

"No thank you, dear. We're quite fine," HG answered lowering her anger.

"So you slept ok? No acid trips?" the young woman asked and her lingo was lost on the Brit.

"We're fine," she repeated and attempted to close the door.

"Oh, HG since I have you. You know your friend from the prom, Charlie? Well, you still have a Facebook page…," Claudia started but saw the confusion on HG's face.

"Face - book?" she tried. Nothing.

"The page where he friended your face?" Claudia tried to put it in terms HG would get.

"Oh, yes. What about it?" HG asked impatiently.

"Well, HG – it's still active and I've been meaning to tell you that the kids are still leaving you messages and stuff and at first I was just replying on your behalf but now that may not have been a really good idea ….," Claudia stopped to take a deep breath. "…because now they want you to come to their scrimmage later," she finally got out.

"OK, yes fine," HG answered because she wanted her gone and had no idea what a scrimmage was.

"OK fine - you'll go?" Claudia asked and now HG could hear Myka moving.

"Yes, with pleasure. Now I must go," HG said closing the door.

"OK, if you insist," Claudia said to the door.

Back inside, Helena deftly slipped back next to Myka without disturbing her. She slowed her breathing and pretended to be asleep when she felt Myka start to move. She felt the swift movement of Myka sitting up in bed, suddenly aware that she had been asleep her entire tour of duty.

"Oh no!" she heard Myka say softly. HG moved on purpose still faking her sleep.

"What did you do to me?" Myka whispered as she bent over and kissed HG on the head. If Helena didn't already have a plan, she would have moved up and kissed her. But Myka had a lesson to learn.

All of a sudden Helena started to moan in her sleep. Myka was immediately next to her, pushing her hair back off her face. "Shhhh," Myka said quietly as she stroked HG's face. Helena opened her eyes.

"Good morning you," Myka said. "Did you sleep OK? Please tell me you did," Myka said out of concern and guilt for sleeping on the job.

"Yes, just fine," HG said truthfully.

"Oh, good. I'm very glad to hear that," Myka said. Now HG sat up in the bed and the two leaned against the headboard.

"Thank you for keeping watch over me last night, Myka," HG said.

"My pleasure," Myka said and then laughed at the truth behind her words. "But you're not out of the woods yet. You have a twenty four hour watch coming just in case you did ingest that stuff," Myka said and HG smiled.

"We better get to breakfast," HG said uncharacteristically but Myka thought she might just be hungry.

* * *

><p>Down at the breakfast table, the staff nibbled on scones and Danish and drank coffee. Artie came in and was pleasantly surprised to see all his agents present.<p>

"So far so good?" he asked Myka about Helena who sat there sipping on tea. Artie knew that the most vulnerable time for delusions was the first twenty four hours after eating the goo.

"Yes, slept through the night," Myka reported and HG said, "Not the _entire _night," just low enough for Myka to hear and cough.

"I expected a text or something first thing this morning," he reminded them and Myka apologized but HG could not have cared less.

Everyone was talking about the day ahead and HG was the only who was quiet since she already knew what she would be doing. She was to go back to the music aisle. The meeting was almost coming to an end when Mrs. Frederic showed up.

"Artie, I would like to address the issue of Agent Wells' incompetence at the meeting this morning," the Sage said and everyone sat up in their seats. Even Artie was surprised by the choice of words. But no one said anything except Helena.

"Pardon me?" the Brit said reacting to the word she found most offensive.

"You heard me, Agent Wells. Your incompetence in doing the simple task of cleaning up the neutralizer room last night," the Sage continued.

Myka could see Helena getting angry; Claudia wasn't sure she could pull back in her chair any more than she was already doing and Pete even stopped eating at the tone in his boss' voice.

"I take exception to your choice of words, madam," HG said rising from her chair at the other end of the table.

"Agent Wells, I have been very patient with you," and now the only one who nodded in agreement was Artie. "But this last stint has pushed me to the limit. However, it seems to me I have been going about this the wrong way. I have been directing the consequences at you. Next time, I will direct them at your fellow agents - so think wisely before you say your next words," Mrs. Frederic warned.

"Hel-e-na," Myka said slowly as she put her hand on her partner's hand. "Hel, take a deep breath here, OK?"

"The hell I will!" was not the response Myka or anyone was expecting but those are the words that shot down the table.

"I warned you, Agent Wells. That outburst will cost Claudia some computer time in the Warehouse," Mrs. Frederic said.

"What? Me? How did I get involved in this?" asked Claudia who hadn't let out a breath let alone a word since this started.

"That's unfair!" HG said but the woman was unfazed. "Punishing someone else? And you question my competence?"

Now Artie tried to get up from his seat because even he felt it was his duty to save Helena from what would be sure destruction. Bronzing would be the better alternative he thought.

"Mrs. Frederic, please. Maybe she did ingest some of that stuff and is a little, you know?" Artie said using the international hand sign for crazy. '_Oh God let her be crazy_,' he thought.

"I don't believe Agent Wells is suffering from anything except _Agent Wells_," the Keeper said slowly. "And as for an excuse, Agent Wells assured me last night that she did not ingest any of the neutralizer. And for that last remark, Agent Wells - Agent Lattimer will now spend the next two days removing debris from the Warehouse perimeter."

"Oh crap! Way to go, HG," Pete said under his breath but Helena hardly looked at him.

"Stop while you're ahead, HG," Artie warned but the agent was livid.

"Madam, with all due respect I find your style of management questionable at best. You gave me that assignment and I did the best I could. I cleaned up the mess," HG protested.

"This is the part you fail to grasp, Agent Wells. You were not supposed to make the mess in the first place!" the older woman said leaning on the table.

Helena felt under attack and Myka could see she was losing her sense of decorum.

"You do know I am human? Capable of mistakes?" HG asked sarcastically.

"Yes and now that one mistake will cost Artie his vacation day next week. Sorry Arthur but I do need to get through to her," Mrs. Frederic said to a stunned Artie.

Helena became enraged. "Madam, you are taking this too far! Next you will be punishing Myka for my supposed insolence. You are ridiculous! I will not abide by this," HG said.

"You will not _abide_? _Supposed_ insolence? Agent Wells, if I cannot get through to you then perhaps your fellow agents can by sharing with you how distasteful it is to suffer your consequences," her boss said.

"Oh I am more than willing to share how I feel," Artie said quickly.

"And you are right, Agent Wells. Because of your insistence to share your inner most thoughts, that will cost Myka - who will not go on the next assignment but rather, will waste her time on doing the inventory in the music aisle that you failed to finish," the Keeper dished out the last of it.

"What? How is that fair?" Myka said and turned to HG because she cautioned her to stop several minutes ago.

The group of them started expressing to Helena how unfair her actions were but they didn't dare direct any of it to their boss. If she was doing this to make an example of Helena, she was doing a heck of a job.

"Agent Wells, I believe everyone in this room has expressed their dissatisfaction with your actions here today. Do _you_ have _anything_ to say to them?" Mrs. Frederic asked putting an end to the squabbling.

"Actually, I do!" HG said and Myka could not believe that she hadn't learned her lesson. But there was no one left in the room to punish but HG so maybe she should still keep going.

"Well, this is your chance to tell them, " her boss said and everyone turned their glaring eyes toward HG.

"I would like to say...," she started slowly. "_GOTCHA!_" Helena said and every single one of her fellow agents jumped, including Artie.

And for the first time in her entire life, Helena G. Wells understood the point of a prank. She broke out in laughter at the sight of all her friends' faces.

"What?" they said practically in unison and looked at HG and Mrs. Frederic. She did not share their look of surprise.

"You knew about this?" Artie asked his boss.

"Yes, of course I did Arthur. You don't think Agent Wells would really be fearless enough to be that brazen do you?" Mrs. Frederic answered.

"Why?" Claudia asked still in shock.

"What is it that you told me about _payback,_ dear?" Helena said quite proud of herself.

"I can't believe you got …. How did you get …. I mean, Mrs. Frederic?" Pete asked.

"Agent Wells explained to me that she was having difficulty understanding the pranks you were playing and asked if I could assist her in a demonstration," Mrs. Frederic explained but the deadpan expression on her face had not changed. It was all in the interest of work that she participated.

"Pranks? There was _one_ prank, HG," Pete pointed out.

"That wasn't funny, Helena!" Myka said holding her chest.

"No, that was a _sign of affection_," HG corrected her.

"You freaked me out," Claudia said. "So I still get my computer time, right?"

"Yes, you do. Unless I do not find Agent Wells in the music aisle later, that is," Mrs. Frederic said.

"I will be there," Helena said in a much meeker tone now that she had pulled off her ruse.

"Good, now that this demonstration is over, I hope you'll all get back to work," Mrs. Frederic said and took her leave.

Helena was still smiling and then noticed how no one was saying anything; they were all staring at her.

"What?" the Brit asked innocently.

"Oh, this is war," Pete said in spite of the fact that he appreciated that her prank did work. He could feel the sweat stains under his arms.

"What? No, I paid you back. This was not a declaration. There is no payback to the payback," HG professed feeling as if the rules were changing.

"War," Pete said thrilled to have any excuse to plan a prank.

"Great. Just what we needed, HG. Another excuse to waste more time around here," Artie yelled as he went to the front hallway.

"I was paying it back," HG tried to clarify and wondered how the same people who initiated this didn't know the rules of engagement.

"Hmmm, I don't think Pete thinks that," Myka said. "You think you're pretty funny, don't you Wells?"

"I don't know about funny, although the expression on your faces was very funny and proof that my efforts worked, I would like to point out. But I do think it was bloody brilliant of me to get Mrs. Frederic to partake in the escapade," HG said.

"How did you do that again?" Myka asked her friend.

"Myka," she said moving into her partner since they were alone, "…you above all people should know how _persuasive_ I can be."

"Hmmm. Yes I do. Now what was that part about Mrs. Frederic saying you assured her that none of that goo got in your mouth last night?" Myka asked remembering what stood out for her.

"Pardon?" HG said forgetting that in all of that script, Mrs. Frederic in fact had given her up.

"Mrs. Frederic said you assured her that you had not ingested any of the goo and yet, last night you said you couldn't be sure. Did you do that just so I would have to watch you?" Myka said shrewdly.

"Yes but a task you failed miserably at, I might add," HG said feigning annoyance.

"Never mind that. You told a senior secret service agent a lie. That is punishable by law. Now what will your consequence be for that I wonder?" Myka teased her partner.

"Pardon? No, that is not funny Myka. I did that to get you ….. I mean I didn't say …. I avoided confirming ….. Oh bloody hell," HG stammered.


	23. HG Branches Into Music and Sports

Thanky you to those who commented that indeed the last chapter worked!  
>I am glad that it did. This could be it - - -<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 23 HG Branches into Music and Sports<strong>

The team worked at the Warehouse almost without incident. Helena continued the music inventory and only stopped when she reached the British Invasion era and had to ask all sorts of questions. Myka had great patience as always with the Time Traveler because she was pleased to see HG take an interest.

"But why can't they simply use proper grammar?" was the one hundredth question of the day.

"It's poetic license I guess," Myka offered as the only explanation she could come up with.

"But why not say; '_I Cannot Attain Any Fulfillment_?' instead of "_I Can't Get No Satisfaction_?" the inquiring mind wondered aloud. "And what does that mean?" she asked sincerely.

"Well, Helena I believe The Rolling Stones were referring to …. eh… how can I put this …. being …. uhm…. frustrated," Myka answered in a chopped up way.

"Like Artie gets with me?" HG asked innocently.

"No! No, Helena, not like that! No, not at all like Artie and ….no!" Myka asked blushing at the thought.

"Like Mrs. Frederic gets with me?" Helena attempted but Myka practically covered her mouth.

"OK, no Helena not like _anyone_ and you. Well, more like me and you but not lately. Or maybe like Jake and his wife remember them?" Myka said but she was all over the place and the Brit had trouble deciphering it.

She did notice it made Myka nervous and one of the things that always did that was …

"Oooh," Helena said finally putting it all together. "What does that mean, '_not lately'_, Myka? Was there ever a time that you felt you were unable to attain satisfaction because of me?" HG asked salaciously and now the red was rushing up Myka's neck.

The middle of the Warehouse was not the place Myka wanted to discuss her personal business with HG.

"Is sexual frustration the topic of many of these songs, Myka?" HG asked candidly.

"Could you just move on to the folk music and give me a minute to regain my thoughts here," Myka said and Helena laughed out loud. But she did go back up the ladder and labeled the next album.

"Myka, what does it mean '_If I Had a Hammer_'? Is that about sexual frustration?" HG asked and Myka couldn't take it.

But while Helena was genuinely curious about all of this, she was also enjoying how uncomfortable it was making Myka in a '_my partner is so repressed and adorable_' kind of way. By the time Helena had finished cataloguing for the day, Myka had accomplished very little. When they returned to the office, HG looked refreshed from putting in a good days work and Myka looked as if she had plowed the back forty. HG's questions and innuendos had taken their toll on Myka and she looked as if she had been through the ringer.

"You OK, Myka?" Claudia asked because Myka's face was wet with perspiration and she was still wearing the blush HG's questions brought.

"Yes, fine," Myka answered and HG added, "_Quite_ satisfied from what I hear," and Myka shot her a look.

"OK you two, break it up," Pete said only furthering Myka's embarrassment.

Myka was going to have to have a talk with Helena about the limits on how much teasing she was allowed to do in one day.

"HG, tell me again how you got Mrs. Frederic to be part of your prank today," Pete asked and never tired of hearing how the Brit got the Sage to agree.

"Mr. Lattimer, I told you I simply asked her if she would instruct me in the art of tomfooleries. She didn't understand how she could help but as I was cleaning up the neutralizer room, it came to me. I asked her the next time I saw her, which actually turned out to be that night as I was trying to get the gunk off her shoes," HG said.

"What happened?" Pete asked.

"Well, I was not successful and now I owe her shoes," HG explained.

"Not about the shoes," Pete said.

"Oh, well I told her that I thought it would help in my acclimation process to understand this type of thing because all over you were experts at it and spent a great deal of time doing it …," she said but they all cut her off.

"Whoa, HG you told her we spent a lot of time playing jokes?" Claudia asked and Pete joined in; "It was one joke, HG. It's not like we did it every day to you."

"Helena, I think you may have given Mrs. Frederic the wrong impression," Myka said to her.

"But the way you all did that yesterday, so smoothly as a team– I assumed it meant you had all spent a great deal of time at it. I commented on that to Mrs. Frederic and she said she wasn't the least bit surprised," HG said sincerely.

"Oh geez, now we'll all get neutralizer detail if she thinks we're goofing off," Pete complained.

"HG, I'm glad the Boss is your new BFF and all and you'll be doing sleepovers next but I don't think you should be sharing team secrets just yet, OK?" Claudia said and Myka could tell most of that was lost on the Brit. But Helena was smiling.

"Oh it would seem I have been able to fool you once again with my straight face and casual demeanor," Helena said and now the confused look was on her fellow agents' faces.

"You didn't tell her all that?" Myka asked.

"No, of course not darling. I was teasing," HG said and they all groaned. "But you told me it was a sign of affection, Myka." Now Pete and Claudia looked at Myka with raised eyebrows.

"OK, well yeah it is, Helena. But you … uhm…. Let me see, how can I explain this? …. The more you do it, the less effective it is," Myka finally decided on and was pleased that she summed it up so well.

"You mean it's the opposite of ...," HG started.

"No! Well, I don't know but let's just keep it to this OK, Hel. You can't be funny all the time, " Myka tried.

"Well I can be," Pete said taking offense.

"You're funny _looking _all the time," Claudia shot back.

"Very funny. OK, let me handle this Myka. Geez, you're taking the long way around this. HG, you know the story of the boy who cried wolf?" Pete said taking charge.

"Yes," HG said.

"OK, then you don't want to be the girl who cried '_gotcha_' all the time or it we won't believe you when it isn't a joke and you say it is a joke. Or is it we will think it's a joke when it's not a joke? Either way, you can't do it too much …. Because….. we won't get it. Yeah that's it. And don't drag Mrs. Frederic into it. I think you may have used up all her reservoir of humor on that prank today. Like forever," Pete said.

"So no pranks?" HG asked confused by the dialogues.

"No, I mean yeah an occasional one is …. Myka, explain this would you?" Pete said handing it back over to her.

"I think we should suspend all of that for a while until HG has had a chance to better acquaint herself with our sense of humor," Myka tried.

"Oh, darling I appreciate that but I doubt time alone will solve that mystery for me," HG said truthfully.

"Hey, HG speaking of really funny things - don't forget you accepted the invitation to go to the lacrosse game tomorrow," Claudia reminded her friend.

"Pardon?" HG asked.

"You-accepted-the-invitation-from-Charlie-to-go-to-the-game?" Claudia tried slower but HG was still confused so Claudia turned to Myka.

"I told her this morning that the team is still leaving messages on her Facebook page and asked if she would come to the game and she said that she would so I responded _yes_ so she's going," Claudia said and motioned for Myka to translate into Helena-ese.

"The boys want you to go to their lacrosse game," Myka said.

"No, I don't think so but thank you," HG said politely.

"No, HG you already said '_yes_', " Claudia explained.

"But I did no such thing," HG protested.

"You did. This morning when I knocked on the door and you answered and I told you about the invite and you said '_yes, with pleasure'_," Claudia said in her best British accent.

"So you were awake before me?" Myka asked curiously and now HG didn't want to have this conversation.

"Yes, I remember now. Why don't we all go? I mean it would be an excellent team bonding experience until I learn the finer art of spontaneous mockery?" HG asked avoiding Myka's question.

"I'll go," Pete said because he was up for any sporting event given he lived with all girls.

"Dude, I could use me some beefy guys running around," Claudia chimed in.

"There! It's settled. We will all go and watch the game," HG said naturally assuming Myka would come.

* * *

><p>The morning of the game, the agents gathered in the SUV to go. Leena had even prepared food and Artie was there as well. They arrived at the field before the game when the teams were just warming up. When they saw Helena on the sidelines, the entire squad came off the field to greet her. Their coach blew the whistle but even that didn't get them back.<p>

"Thanks for coming, Helena," Charlie said to his former prom date.

"My pleasure," HG said to them.

"I love your Facebook status," another called out and Claudia coughed out loud.

They heard the coach blow the whistle loudly this time and headed back to the field. The agents took their seats in the bleachers. Charlie's parents were there and waved over to Helena. Then Jake stood up and waved but Luanne pulled him back down in his seat.

"She's not quite over you I see," Pete said teasing HG.

Pete took it upon himself to explain the game to HG. She had a rudimentary understanding of it having read up about it once. But to see the boys with long sticks throwing the ball back and forth and catching it provoked all kinds of questions.

"What is the object?" she asked.

"Shoot the ball in the net at the other end of the field," Pete said.

"So it's trajectory and geometry?" Helena asked sincerely.

"Yeah, sure and getting the most goals," Pete answered.

"What is that boy hitting the other one's stick?" the Brit asked.

"He's allowed and he's hoping the one with the ball will drop it," Pete explained.

"But he's really hitting him," HG noted.

"Yeah, it's called 'slashing' and it's allowed as long as it's on the stick," he said.

"Yeah, but that one just hit his arm and it looked like it really hurt," Myka pointed out.

"OK, ladies you do know this is a contact sport. There will be pushing, shoving and possibly bruises and cuts," he pointed out.

"Really? I am not entirely sure I am comfortable with all of this. I mean, can't they just toss the ball and attempt to score points? What do they call that?" HG asked.

"They call that _girls_ lacrosse. OK? Now this is not that. This is …wait …can I get my seat changed out of the girlie section?" Pete all but whined. "Leena, can we eat yet?" he asked.

The team practiced for a few more minutes and HG watched intently so that she could learn the game. Ten players on each side lined up. One from each team bent down in the middle of the field and the referee placed the white ball between them. When he blew the whistle, the two players attempted to get the ball. The boy on the visiting team got it and raced down the field, passing it along the way to his fellow teammates. The one who possessed it ran in front of the goal and shot it but the goalie blocked it and the crowd erupted into cheers. Helena was catching on.

The game was fast paced and the crowd cheered when Charlie scored the next two goals. But the other team was tough and came back. Helena noticed that the opposing team member would run left, fake right and come back around to the left to score the goal. She finally took it upon herself to share the fact that it was a pattern.

"Are you allowed on the field at any time?" she asked Pete.

"No, just the players," he answered.

"Even if you have important information?" she said genuinely.

"Oh well sure, if you have important ….," he was kidding but HG was off the bench and making her way down.

"HG wait!" he yelled but it was too late.

"I have important information to give your team," she said to the Univille High Coach. She assumed he was the coach because he had the whistle and was yelling a lot.

"What? Who are you?" he asked roughly.

"I am Helena Wells and I have important information for your team," she said plainly.

"Are you English?" he asked hearing the accent.

"Yes, and I have …," she was politely repeating for his benefit.

"Aren't you people into soccer?" he asked and Helena just looked at him. But the yelling of the crowd caught his attention as the opposing team scored their third straight goal against Univille.

"Lady, you best go take your seat and let me take care of things down here," he said staring at Helena.

"But there is a pattern….," she started to say.

"I know who you are now. You're the woman who my whole team is fixated on. You're the one who went to the prom," he said figuring it out from her accent.

"Well, yes but ….," she tried to get back to the point.

"Lady, you have been the topic of some serious conversation in my locker room and I don't like it," he said as if HG might understand.

"I don't know what that means but I do know that there is a pattern here that …," but again he cut her off.

"Lady, you better go sit down now so I can get my team to concentrate on the game," the coach warned and turned away from HG so he could yell at his players.

Helena did step away but noticed that she could move down the field and call over to Charlie. This made perfect sense to Helena. Pete was about to go get her when he saw her moving away and assumed she was on her way back.

"Charles?" she called from the sideline and now Charlie turned to look at her.  
>"Charles, I notice a pattern that you should be aware of," she said in her calmest voice.<p>

"What Helena?" the captain asked not wanting to take his eyes off the game.

"There is a pattern. Number 35 goes left, fakes right and shoots left," she said and Charlie nodded his head.

Charlie ran up to the opposing player, watched for the fake and went with him instead of against him and knocked the ball out. He scooped the ball up and threw it down the field and Univille scored. Everyone was happy except the coach who saw HG and pointed to her to return to her seat.

"I better go get her," Pete said and went down to the field.

"HG, come on. I don't think the coach needs your help," Pete said as he tried to collect her.

"He may not need it but the team does," HG said as she watched the game from the sideline.

"Hey! He's not allowed to do that," HG called out to the ref when she witnessed a kid hitting the Univille player's helmet. The referee just looked over at her. He was used to interfering parents from the sidelines. He hadn't seen the slash and so couldn't determine if it was intentional so he didn't call it.

"Are you kidding me?" HG said in the closest thing to Pete's vernacular. "Are you blind? You didn't see that slash to the head?" she said and even Pete looked down at her. She really must have absorbed something after all those times she was in the room when he was yelling at the TV set during sporting events.

Myka put her head in her hands. "Never a dull day when Agent Wells is around," Artie said shaking his head and going back to his newspaper.

"You tell 'em, Helena," Myka heard someone yell and it was Jake who was immediately pulled back down in his seat by his wife.

"Mister, if you don't take your girlfriend there back to her seat, I'm going to have her ejected from the game," the referee warned.

"Come on, HG. Let's not cause …," Pete tried to say but when he turned around HG had walked down the side line and was continuing her long distance coaching. The team was coming off the field at the end of the third quarter and she was calling the team over. The coach stood there as half the team went over to her. He crossed his arms and started to walk slowly to her. She was vigorously trying to explain something to them when he bent down and said, "Perhaps you would like my white board?". HG looked up and saw the burly man standing there with the chart that you could write on to show defensive and offensive moves.

"Thank you, " she said taking the board that he never intended to leave his hand. "If you look at what a 135 degree angle looks like," she was saying to the boys, " you can snap the ball down in front of the goal here, and it will shoot upwards at this angle," she said drawing the line. The coach wanted to reach in and grab her by the neck but when he say the 'aha' look on the players' faces, he decided against it. He did reach over and take out a roll of tape that they used to wrap up the sticks with and handed it to Pete.

"If you do not take her back to her seat and tape her to it, I am going to have both of you thrown out. And that will be a first in my twenty three years as a coach for this team," he said staring at them.

"Come on, HG . I think you have helped out enough for one day," Pete said as he pushed HG up the steps to their seats.

* * *

><p>Myka watched more of Helena watching the game than the action on the field. She loved how enthusiastic Helena got about everything and how uninhibited she was to shout out her inner most thoughts down to the players. She handled this the way she did every new thing; with enthusiasm until she could master it. No doubt HG thought she could coach that team had they asked her. By the time Helena had shouted her tenth 'bloody hell,' it was becoming a new anthem and people around her started to shout it when something didn't go the way they wanted for the home team. Leave it to HG to change the vernacular of the fans.<p>

Charlie scored the winning goal in overtime by slamming the ball downward to get the goalie to block at his feet and miss it when the ball shot up at a perfect 135 degree angle. The crowd erupted into cheers and Pete got his first spontaneous high five from HG. There was hope for the Brit yet.

She hugged Myka and cheered along with the crowd. After the team won, Charlie rushed over to Helena down on the sideline as they were leaving.

"Hey, Helena catch," he said tossing the solid white winning game ball her way. "The guys want you to have this to remember us by."

Helena caught the ball. "I shall treasure it always," she said and leaned over to kiss his cheek. "Congratulations." Charlie stood there with his helmet pushed up over his head and touched his cheek. Myka knew that look in his eyes of total infatuation. The only thing that made it change was the young girl who ran into his arms and kissed him. His friend Tracy.

Then Pete noticed the coach coming over towards them and stepped in front of Helena out of a sense of protection. Myka smiled at that.

"She stayed in her seat," Pete said in a _'don't give us any trouble'_ tone.

"Yeah, well thanks for that," he said to Pete slapping him hard on his back. Pete nearly coughed but remained solid trying to act like it wasn't as painful as it really was.

"Ms. Wells," the coach said pushing past Pete. "Thanks for your eh help with the game. I'm not entirely sure what you told them, but they listened to you. If you ever want to coach lacrosse," he started to say.

"Well in spite of the fact that you could benefit from what little I know about the game," HG said definitely, "I will have to politely decline." And the coach just looked at her. He had not met anyone like her in his life.

"Well, maybe on a part time basis then?" he asked and was being serious. He already knew his team liked her. "For the team," he added.

"No thanks, Coach. I appreciate your kind offer but I already have a job. A very satisfying job with a team I like very much. In fact, I dare say they are more my family than just my team," HG said and walked away with the others as she left.

"More teasing, Helena?" Myka asked as they walked back to the car.

"No darling. I meant every word of it," HG said smiling.


End file.
